Witnessing Eachother

    Many know that for years now, artists have used their work as forms of social commentary, ranging from political and social status quo to interpersonal expressions. History has shown us that artists have effectively used art to display powerful messages and often disrupt unjust social situations that occur. Art takes many forms and can impact people in ways that are unseen, but what is the true extent to which art pieces can act as a genuine disruption in societal circumstances? In Infernal Noise: the soundtrack to insurrection by Jennifer Whitney, Jennifer reflects on her experiences with the Infernal Noise Brigade, a marching band that created music for the key purpose of creating social disruption and political protest. The Infernal Noise Brigade sought to use the chaos and unpredictability of the protest to garner the attention of the public and challenge ideas. Art in its various forms has the ability to "interrupt" daily life in the forms of disruption and visual or auditory confrontation, allowing for more potent forms of political intervention and eventually, more personal reflection. 

    Just like the Infernal Noise Brigade created a type of curated chaos to promote social awareness and political change, the artist Krzysztof Wodiczko also seeks to create social and political intervention not through the sole focus of aesthetics but large scale disruption and organized chaos. The film Krzysztof Wodiczko: Projections (1991) directed by Derek May follows the polish born artist, now living in New York as he transitions from creating works for galleries to creating large scale projections in widely public spaces to create disruption in the publics passivity towards social issues and also increase awareness. Both the Infernal Noise Brigade and  Krzysztof Wodiczko use forms of direct intervention not only through the forms of different mediums but also through the forms of disruptive techniques, using sound, occupancy, surprise and confrontation collectively as tools to further engage public audiences in an effort to create social change. These two different forms of art express all the ways artists are able to use both visual and auditory media as direct forms of protest and social change. While the general beauty and aesthetics of these arts still exist, it is more subdued compared to the pressure of confrontation and disruption they are able to cause, proving the effectiveness of art itself as a direct form social and political intervention and not just the discussions that comes after creation and display.