NEWS: And the paranoia continues
Vidocq Society
threat to the Republic.
The War on Art Historians
By Robert Tracinski
http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2002/september/rwt_art.htm
I just discovered a story that sums up, better than anything else, the end
result of the War on Terrorism so far. It is a story, not about the suppression
of Islamic fanatics in the Middle East, but about the suppression of our own
liberties here in the United States.
The back cover of my magazine, The Intellectual Activist, is devoted to images
of inspiring realist works of art. I particularly like to find little-known,
neglected works to bring to the attention of our readers. One of my best
sources for these images is Lee Sandstead, a graduate student in art history at
the City University of New York who is also making a promising beginning as a
photographer. Lee specializes in 19th-century "Academic" art -- the highly
refined realist school that was attacked and driven into obscurity to make room
for the "abstract" smears and blobs of modern art. Lee frequently sends me
photos of these forgotten realist sculptures that he finds tucked away in New
York's public parks.
This may seem like a harmless activity, unrelated to the War on Terrorism. In
fact, it is the polar opposite of the threat posed by the terrorists. Bin Laden
and his Taliban allies were opposed to art as such, and they would be
especially appalled by idealized versions of the nude human figure -- the
favorite subject of the Academic sculptures Lee photographs.
Yet the photographing of public art and architecture has apparently been deemed
a threat to the Republic.
Three weeks ago, Lee was setting up his camera to photograph Discus Thrower, by
Costas Dimitriadis (pictured right, photo credit: Lee Sandstead), a sculpture
installed in 1926 on Randall's Island at the Eastern end of New York's
Triborough Bridge. As he was taking the first shot, Lee heard a stern voice
commanding him to "Stand away from the camera" -- in the same tone that a bank
robber would be instructed to put down his weapon and come out with his hands
up. New York City transportation police then detained him for 45 minutes while
they ran his name through the FBI database. It should be no surprise that the
blond-haired, blue-eyed Tennessee native did not show up on any watch-lists for
Muslim terrorists.
This harassment by the police might be forgivable, as an overzealous
precaution, except for one thing. When Lee's name was cleared, he asked the
police if he could continue taking photos of the sculpture. He was told that
all photography in the area was prohibited, and when we checked later, we
discovered that there was no process by which one can get permission to take
photographs of the sculpture.
Why? The Discus Thrower happens to be near the Triborough Bridge -- though the
one photo Lee managed to take shows no signs of the structure. The policemen's
rationalization is that Muslim terrorists often take photos of their intended
targets as part of the preparation for bombing attacks on public monuments.
This is how they justify a blanket prohibition on photography by American art
historians.
Remember that all Lee was interested in was the sculpture. What if he were
interested in the history and design of the bridge itself? My wife is an
architectural historian, and her work includes taking photos of public
structures and monuments. A few months before September 11, she gave a lecture
in New York City about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. If she tried to
take photographs of the bridge today, she would be detained and prohibited.
Surely, you might argue, some restrictions must be accepted because of the war.
I agree -- but what war is that?
Since September 11, Americans have been subjected to a string of petty
harassments and infringements on our liberty, from intrusive searches in
airports to massive new spending of our tax dollars -- all justified in the
name of "the war." Yet no war is being fought overseas. The war in Afghanistan
is all but finished, and no one, from the president to Congress, has committed
to a new war against Iraq.
Restrictions like a ban on photographing public monuments might be tolerable as
temporary security measures "for the duration." But if there is no war, then
they are just permanent losses of our liberty. And worse: these infringements
are carried out, not by law, but by decree of the transportation police.
The war against state sponsors of terrorism has been abandoned -- yet it is
used as justification for the only war that still exists: a war on American
liberty.