Many people have taken to Instagram and in righteous indignation chastised a country for treating what should be a somber holiday and turning into an extravaganza of drunken gluttony. Their apparent goal is to remind the rest of us this holiday exists to honor the countless American military servicemen and women who died for something greater than themselves.
Ok, fair enough. Selfless acts and people do deserve some recognition, but what many fail to realize is this day is a celebration of war the very thing that killed the people we're supposed to be mourning.
We cannot ask the dead about their experience in war. We cannot ask them if in their last moments they thought what they were supposedly fighting for was still worthwhile. This holiday exacerbates the symptoms of the disease of nationalism. It is a sickness that has claimed untold millions of lives.
The dead cannot speak, but those who survived war can still teach us quite a bit, and the way many veterans communicate the dark wisdom gained in war are communicating is through art.
The National Veterans Art Museum in portage park is a gallery made up of works created by war vets. The art was mostly produced in art therapy sessions. Art therapy is a way for veterans to articulate the internal torment the experience of war leaves with the people it destroys.
Pain awoke something in them, and they were able to find a new sense of purpose showing us the truth about war. Their art is inspired by their scars; it is an expression of their pain.
The fractured lives and shattered minds that made this art lift the veil of our denial. Viewers are forced to confront reality, and it is far different than the sanitized ego stroking romantic illusions of battle put forward in our culture.
The iconography of Death is heavily utilized in most of the pieces. War after all, is humanity's most death oriented endeavor. The hollowed eyes of skulls are painful reminders of extinguished human life.
There are a number of mediums on display, and there is not one that doesn't invoke a discomfort from the truth it forces on the eyes. Eyes that often have often never seen the human cost of war.
Each display tells of that cost; it is part of the artists story, it is a product of their struggle. Most importantly though it reminds us why it is important that we do not let this national holiday serve as a campaign to celebrate war.
We can really honor those who have fallen by learning from their deaths the ugly truth about war. War can only destroy. That is what it does.
If we want to claim we care about veterans and those currently serving than the best thing we could do for them is not buy a yellow ribbon, hang a flag, or watch Saving Private Ryan. The best we could do is make sure no more lives are wasted on war. Please visit this museum.
http://www.nvam.org/#
Monday, May 25, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
It Goes Bump: My Digital Enemy at Spy Bar
Spy Bar is a club located in the illustrious heart of river north. An enclave of decadent luxury enjoyed by those young urban professionals who still enjoy calling up their Molly guy before hitting the town.
Partying around River North is a bit different than in other parts of the city such as Wrigleyville or Logan Square. It's not as congested, and the attractions are not as condensed. This means less moving around. If you chose to make one of these spots your destination chances are that's where you will be for the night. In terms of clubs, Spy Bar is not a bad place to dance the drugs and booze out of your system until you find yourself ready to slink home at four in the morning.
One thing the club really gets right is its use of space. The entrance is on the side of the building in the alleyway; a large fire door leads to a staircase that takes you to the a sublevel that opens up into the club. The interior is dark, the walls are inlaid with red neon lights that glow like electric blood. There are two bars one near the entrance and one against the far right wall. There is a DJ booth in the back and right in the center is the dance floor.
The dance floor is just the right size and is flanked by plenty of seating. It's not hard to duck out of the dancing for a quick breather, you don't feel like you're being forced to stand the whole time. The crowd is generally amicable, and if you're nice enough they may just offer you whatever illicit substance you need to keep going till closing time which is 4 am.
The drink prices are high. If you need to keep a high level of energy going beer probably won't cut it. If you're on a budget, you might not be able to afford to gulp cocktails all night so if you decide to go to Spy Bar you might want to consider pregaming.
That's about as much as there is to say. If you like dancing and music that goes bump bump bump to pulsing lights well, then you'll probably enjoy Spy Bar.
My Digital Enemy a DJ duo from the UK recently played the club and damned if they didn't give a demonstration of what makes the place good for shows. The club's sound system is good. The bass thumps and the treble is enough to rattle your bones at times. However, it's set up in such a way as to not be oppressive. It will never drown out the rest of the time. Somehow it is possible to be right next to a speaker while holding a conversation, well as much of a conversation as you're going to have at a dance club. Acoustics experts might understand how this works, but for the rest of us it might as well be magic.
The pair kept the energy up all night, and this is not always easy to do once 3 AM hits, but everyone was feeling it, and you could tell they were too. They did their entire 4-hour set and still stuck around to talk fans and have a few beers. The fascinating thing is this is their job they do this sometimes nightly for large stretches of time. By the time they were in Chicago they had already been in Miami and were on their way to the Carribean. This is an insane schedule. While being there it was clear to see what the perks of being an international DJ were but it was also easy to see the occupational hazards.
Partying around River North is a bit different than in other parts of the city such as Wrigleyville or Logan Square. It's not as congested, and the attractions are not as condensed. This means less moving around. If you chose to make one of these spots your destination chances are that's where you will be for the night. In terms of clubs, Spy Bar is not a bad place to dance the drugs and booze out of your system until you find yourself ready to slink home at four in the morning.
One thing the club really gets right is its use of space. The entrance is on the side of the building in the alleyway; a large fire door leads to a staircase that takes you to the a sublevel that opens up into the club. The interior is dark, the walls are inlaid with red neon lights that glow like electric blood. There are two bars one near the entrance and one against the far right wall. There is a DJ booth in the back and right in the center is the dance floor.
The dance floor is just the right size and is flanked by plenty of seating. It's not hard to duck out of the dancing for a quick breather, you don't feel like you're being forced to stand the whole time. The crowd is generally amicable, and if you're nice enough they may just offer you whatever illicit substance you need to keep going till closing time which is 4 am.
The drink prices are high. If you need to keep a high level of energy going beer probably won't cut it. If you're on a budget, you might not be able to afford to gulp cocktails all night so if you decide to go to Spy Bar you might want to consider pregaming.
That's about as much as there is to say. If you like dancing and music that goes bump bump bump to pulsing lights well, then you'll probably enjoy Spy Bar.
My Digital Enemy a DJ duo from the UK recently played the club and damned if they didn't give a demonstration of what makes the place good for shows. The club's sound system is good. The bass thumps and the treble is enough to rattle your bones at times. However, it's set up in such a way as to not be oppressive. It will never drown out the rest of the time. Somehow it is possible to be right next to a speaker while holding a conversation, well as much of a conversation as you're going to have at a dance club. Acoustics experts might understand how this works, but for the rest of us it might as well be magic.
The pair kept the energy up all night, and this is not always easy to do once 3 AM hits, but everyone was feeling it, and you could tell they were too. They did their entire 4-hour set and still stuck around to talk fans and have a few beers. The fascinating thing is this is their job they do this sometimes nightly for large stretches of time. By the time they were in Chicago they had already been in Miami and were on their way to the Carribean. This is an insane schedule. While being there it was clear to see what the perks of being an international DJ were but it was also easy to see the occupational hazards.
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