14 planet of the arts / spring 1998 COVER pot - - - - -- -------- Ores eee eeleleleleleleleleletreleltel a aaa ns Reena, a ee geen ag ape ee By way of comparison, the summaries of hardship and pain that accompany Borges’ Tibetan imagery prompt us to consider the exercise of power that manifests itself through the bodies of the colonial population, e.g., through scar tissue, missing teeth, torn out fingernails, broken bones, psycho-somatic trauma, etc. For all their United Statesian bravado, Rowell and Borges are alike in ducking out on much of the literary component of their books and handing over this crucial responsibility to the Dalai Lama. Their relinquishment of control is clever to the point of being cynical because readers are unlikely to take the Big Cheese to task over what are the appropriate priorities and strategies for the Tibetan struggle. “His Holiness” shivers with identification at the sight of a bug being crushed — therefore, what kind of bad karma comes with asking tough questions about some of the high- ly debatable moral and political inter- pretations of Buddhism that the Dalai Lama has prescribed to the Tibetan Power can grow niceness and the prettiness of the 6) f 6 g un an d Ou t Travelogue-type pictures. The priority given to easy accessibility smothers us with insipid content that fails to 6) f 6 | & am e ra le Nn S. inspire a sense of engagement let alone sustain our interest. In Borges, there is a zigzagging that arises from presenting “saintly” countenances adjacent to snippets of the horrors and hardships visited upon them. The simultaneous revulsion and attraction that is pro- duced by this design format activates a wide enough range of thoughts and feelings to give the reader space to determine his or her own sense of engagement with the issues at hand. Canadian Hopes: Genuine (But Subtle) Subtlety is something a colonized people needs if their culture is to survive and grow within the imposing constraints of superpower hegemony. Tibetans will have come to understand this after five decades of occupation by the Chinese. Many Canadians understand it. The imposing role in Canada of United Statesian popular culture means that when Canadians listen to the radio, watch television, and see films, they very often hear and see the Big Picture according to the self-pro- claimed greatest nation in history. As an economically colonized people, Canadians understand and appreciate sub- tlety. Canadians are also colonizers, however, and they understand and appreciate bravado to a point. This contradictory duality can be conveyed by a general comparison of two Canadian spokespeople for culture in the 1960s and 1970s, Marshall McLuhan and Jack McClelland. McLuhan used celebrity and sound bites to whet Canadian artists’ fascination with new visual media — media increasingly concentrated in New York and Los Angeles rather than dispersed evenly throughout the “global village.” McClelland stirred desire for an old cultural industry — book publishing — to take root in Canada. Three decades after learning that “the medium is the message’, on the one hand, and getting Ottawa to prevent United Statesian publishers’ surpluses from being dumped below cost in Canada, on the other hand, what have Canadians ended up with? A film industry based on providing cut-rate labour to United Statesian televi- sion series and movies-of-the-week, and a publishing industry that has never accom- modated more authors or books on a wider range of topics — books like those by Brian Harris and Art Perry on the situation in Tibet. If the Canadian experience is anything to go by, there are gaps even in the most grandiose and pervasive cultural superstructure. It takes subtlety to locate and turn them to good advantage. Subtlety, it should be noted, is a slippery virtue to master, treading as closely as it does to the various aspects of abjectness encouraged by one’s resistance movement? In Rowell’s book, the suffocation of out 0 ig G61 6S 2 gd ger the combination of the Dalai Lama’s political overlords: self-abasement, despicableness, cowardice, etc. Brian Harris needed ample subtlety to plan and implement his five-year project to collect sto- ries about the Tibetan experience prior to the Chinese take-over. He mentions the need for authenticity as a regulating principle for gather- ing, translating and rendering for publication the accounts of his subjects, people belonging to the last generation of Tibetans to reach maturity under the political and cultural regime of Tibetan Buddhism. The benefits of this self-critical methodology turn up in the variety and range of the stories in Tibetan Voices. Some of the experiences recounted in the book tell us about life as: a monk, an aristo- crat, a calligrapher, a stone carver, a metal craftsperson, and a temple builder. The theme that runs through these particular stories is of a dis- ruption so abrupt and so cataclysmic that the ebb and flow through which traditional knowledge is passed from one generation to the next has come to a standstill. The cultural anthropologist working with modern recording technologies and an appropri- ate field approach can step into the breach — this is the basis on which Harris pegs the relevance of Tibetan Voices. There are important limitations to this strate- gy not the least of which is that some aspects of cultural experience are too sensitive to be part of the investigative mandate of an_ external researcher. Harris allows this particular limitation to be evident to the reader in the narrative provid- ed by the weather controller, who relates: “what is not well know, and what I cannot reveal, are those skills and practices through which clouds can be moved away.” Another problem is the absence of verification, a limitation that matters to the extent that apart from their idiosyncratic authenticity any story is considered representative of a larger category of social experience. This problem is especially acute in stories told about the social experiences of someone other than the speaker, e.g., the wife of a former chief justice recounting the experiences of “the begging classes.” We saw above that despite using their books to play out personal agendas that include the vindi- cation of United Statesian greatness, Borges and Rowell duck the issues of representativity and authenticity by taking on the Dalai Lama as a front man. Harris has made a more outwardly sincere and less self-serving attempt than the United Statesian authors to communicate the experience of the Tibetans. Ironically, the range of his ambitions and the sincerity with which they are carried out render him more vulnerable to the ultimately fick- le criticism about not having done or presented enough material. In this regard, it is worth recall- ing the practical limitations imposed on Harris by touristic surveillance. Moreover, Harris might return to Tibet to gather more stories and images, either for a subsequent publication or for his ongoing presentations on Tibet. What about Harris’s photographs, then? They are colour images that are secondary and largely illustrative of the narratives he presents, and in this role they consistently return the reader’s attention to the text. He neither realizes the glam- orous aesthetic of the travelogue nor does he frame very much more than a highly literal “pho- tographic present”. The meaning of this last point is clearer if we consider the practised black-and-white photo- documentary approach of Art Perry in his The Tibetans: Photographs. Perry’s images record the path of his travels through Tibet, an important component of which took place in the company of nomadic people on the Chang Tang Plateau. There is a social and cultural complexity in Perry’s images that he deciphers to a limited extent, but which contains a surfeit of meaning he does not attempt to summarize. Captions accompanying Perry’s images pro- vide some information about the subject and indi- cations of the juncture in Perry’s travel at which the image was made. The information in any sin- gle caption often is related to a broader historical theme Perry considers relevant, e.g., the forced sterilization of Tibetans. These themes in their turn are developed more fully in the overall text, which includes extensive references. Perry uses text to reveal nested meanings fairly available from the outset in the images presented to us. Accompanying this use of text is a strategy of intertwining the personal significance of an image to the image-maker’s own (self-) questioning. One line of this inquiry is how social and cultural real- ities in one part of the world are affected in dras- tic ways by human institutions in other parts of the world. These include institutions whose mate- rialism and utility are bought into by the capitalist West as well as by communist China. In contrast to Phil Borges, therefore, Perry does not simplify his explanation of the situation in Tibet as the product of irrationalism specific to China. Furthermore, what emerges from Perry’s images of Tibetans conducting their daily activi- ties is that a compressed, formulaic method in the manner of Borges’ churning out of pseudo- celebrities is not adequate to render a critical read- ing of history. xk*x*k Power can grow out of the barrel of a gun and out of a camera lens. When is it appropriate to use either sort of power? Our comparison of four photographers con- cerned about the situation in Tibet is instructive for showing how culturally-driven understandings of power affect image-making. The two United Statesian photographers are alike in conveying that the world would be a better place if United Statesian values proliferated more widely around the globe. These values include the constitutional right of each individual to bear arms and pursue the right to life, liberty and happiness, although not necessarily in that order. We are left with the impression that Tibet might become free if there were a new world order in which the United States of America played the supercop and Hollywood and Yosemite were exported to Tibet, with Tibetans playing the roles of celebrities and park wardens. Harris and Perry proceed in the characteristi- cally small strides of Canadians and rely on unarmed reason to make their case for Tibet. Finger pointing is kept to a minimum in Harris’s text and is generalized in Perry’s — no one need feel either singled out or left out. Subtle modesty can bring practical results where impulsive and self-indulgent bombast comes up empty-handed. Then again, if the house is on fire and the kids are inside, subtlety is not necessarily the best policy. Ol 44 planet of the arts. / spri COVER _ Te Power can grow out of the barrel of a gun and out of a camera lens. 1830 Fir St. (2nd & Fir) ‘After $40 pm. ‘Duein ony”) values purchased with this od. zak TIO Phone: (604) 736-9559 — TWO FOR ONE, Enjoy one entree free when a second entree of equal or greater ee TOTO By way of comparison, the summaris of hardship and pain tat accompany Borges Tibetan imagery prompt us to conser the exercise of power that manifests tell through the bodies of the colonial population, «through scar tisue, missing tech, torn out fingernails, broken bones, psychosomatic trauma Forall her United Satesan bravado, Rowell and Borges are alike in ducking out ‘on much of literary component of ther books and handing over this cro responsibilty tothe Dalai Lama. Their relinguishment of control is clever 1 the point of bing cynical because reader are unlikely to take the Big Chese to tsk over ‘what are the appropriate priorities and strategies forthe Tibetan strug. Holiness” shivers with identification atthe sight ofa bug being crushed therefore, ‘what kind of bad karma comes with asking tough questions about some ofthe high ly debatable moral and political inter pretations of Buddhism thatthe Dalai Lama has prescribed to the Tibetan In Rowell’ book, the suffocation of the reader's questioning comes from the combination ofthe Dalai Lama's riceness and the prettiness of the Travelogue-ype pictures. The priority sven to easy accessibility smothers us with insipid content that fils to inspire a sense of engagement let alone Tn Borges, there is vigzagging that iss fom presentng"ssinly” countenances adjacent to snippets ofthe horrors and hardships visited upon them. The simultaneous revulsion and atracton that spo duced by this design format activatesa wide enough range of thoughts and fecings to give the reader space to determine his or her oven sense of engagement with the issues at hand. Canadian Hopes: Genuine (But Subtle) Subuety is something a colonized people needs if their culture iso survive and 106 within the imposing constraints of superpower hegemony: Tibetans will have ‘come to understand thier five decades of oeupation bythe Chinese. “Many Canadians understand it.The imposing role in Canad of United tatevian popular culture means that when Canadians listen tothe radio, watch lesion, and sce films they very often hear and see the Big Picture acoeding tothe sl-pro- ‘aimed greatest nation in history. Asan economically colonized people, Canadians understand and appreciate sub tlety, Canadians are also colonizers, however and they understand and appreciate bravado to point. This contradictory duality can be conveyed by a general comparison of two ‘Canadian spokespeople for culture inthe 1960 and 1970s, Marshall Metshan and Jack McClelland, MeLuhan usd celebrity and sound bites to whet Ca fascination with new visual media ~ media increasingly concentrated in New York and Los Angeles rather than dispersed evenly theowghout the “global village” McClelland steed desire for an old cultural industry ~ book publishing - to take root in Canada, ‘Thrce decade after learning that “the medium isthe message on the one an and getting Ottawa to prevent United Statesin publisher surpluses from being ‘dumped below cost in Canad, on the other hand, what have Canadkans ended up ‘with? A film industry based on providing ct-rat labour to United Staesian tly son series nd movie-of the-weck and a publishing industry that has never accom ‘modated more authors or books on wider range of topics ~ books like those by Brian Harvisand Art Perey on the situation in Tibet If the Canadian experience is anything to go by, there are gaps even inthe most srandiose and pervasive cultural superstructure. It akessubilety to locate and tuen them to good advantage. Sublet, it should be noted isa slippery vetue to master, reading as closely asit does to the various aspect of abjctness encouraged by ones politi overlords: self abasement,depicalenes, cowardice, et. Brian Harris needed ample subuety to plan and implement his five-year project to cll to ries about the Tibetan experience prior t0 the Chinese take-over. He mentions the nesd for authenticity asa regulating principe for gather: ing, translating and rendering for publication the accounts of his subjects, people belonging o the last generation of Tibetans to reach maturity under the politcal and cultural regime of Tibetan Buddhism, The benefits of this selcrital methodology ‘tur up inthe variety and range ofthe stories in Tibetan Voices Some ofthe experiences recounted in thebooktllus about life as: monk, an aristo rat a calligrapher, a stone carver, a met «rafisperson, anda temple bilder. The theme that runs through these particular stoves i ofa dis ruption so abrupt and s catadlysmic that the ebb and flow through which traditional knowledge is passed fom one generation tothe next has come toa stands ‘The cultural anthropologist working. wit modern recording technologies and an appropri ate ield approach an step int the breach = this is the basis on which Harts pegs the relevance of Tibetan Voices There are important imitations to this strate 1 not the last of which is that some aspects of cultural experience ate too sensitive to be part of the investigative mandate of an external researcher. Haris lows this particular limitation to be evident tothe reader in the narrative provi ey the weather controller, who rats: “wha is ‘not wll know, and what cannot reveal are those skills and practices through which clouds can be moved ay other problem isthe absence of verification, limitation that matters to the extent that apt feom thee idiosyncratic authenticity any story is considered representative of larger category of Social experience. This problem i especially acute in stores told about the social experiences of Someone other than the speaker, eg the wife of & former chief justice recounting the experiences of the begging classes We aw above that despite using thee books to ply out personal agendas that include the vind ‘ation of United Sttesian greatness, Borges and Rowell duck the issues of representativity and ity by taking on the Dalai Lama as @ front man Harris as made a more outwardly sincere and les slf-serving attempt than the United States authors to communicate the experience of the Tibetans. onicaly, the ange of his ambitions and the sincerity with which they ae carried out render him more vulnerable tothe ultimately fick le criticism about not having done or presented enough material. In this regard it is worth real- jing the practical imitations imposed om Harris by touristic surveillance. Moreover, Hareis might 1rn to Tibet to gather more tories and images, « for a subsequent publication or for his ‘ongoing presentations on Tibet. What about Hares’ photographs, then? They ae colour images that are secondary and largely ilustative of the narratives he present, and in this role they consistently return the reader's attention to the text. He neither realizes the glam orous aesthetic of the travelogue nor docs he frame very much more than a highly iter “pho tographie present” The meaning of this last point i clearer if we consider the pratsed black-and-white photo documentary approach of Art Perry in his The Tibetans: Photegraphs. Berry's images record the path of his travels through Tibet, an important “component of which took place in the company of ‘nomadic people on the Chang Tang Platea. There is a social and cultural complexity in Perry's images that he deciphers toa limited extent, but Thich contains a surfeit of meaning he docs not jons acompanying Petry’ image pro ide some information about the subject and ind ‘ations of the juncture in Perey’ travel at which the image was made. The in maton in ay sn le caption often is related to a broader historical theme Perry considers relevant, eg the forced sterilization of Tibetans, These themes in their tur are developed more fallin the overall ext, which inclades extensive referenes erry uses text wo reveal nested meanings fry availble fom the outset i the images presented 1o.us Accompanying thsuse of tat isa strategy of imtertwining the personal significance of an image to theimage-maker’s own (elf) questioning. One line of this inguin how socal an cultural cal ities in one part ofthe word are afeted in dras tic ways by human institutions in other parts of the world. These include institutions whose mate rilsm and utility re bought into by the capitalist West swell by communist China In contrast to Phil Borges, therefore, Peery dos not simplify is explanation ofthe situation in Tibetas the product of rationalism specifi ‘China, Furthermore, what emerges fom Perrys images of Tibetans conducting their daily activi tis is that a compressed, formulaic method in the manner of Borges’ churning out of pseudo ‘clebritesis not adequate to render cia ead ing of history kK Power can grow out ofthe bare ofa gun and ‘ut ofa camer lens When ist appropriate to use ithe sort of power ‘Our comparison of four photographers com ‘cerned about the situation in Tibet i instructive for showing how culturly-driven understandings ‘of power affect image-making. The two United States photographers are alike in conveying thatthe world would be a better place if United Statesian values proliferated more widely around the globe. These values include the constitutional right ofeach individual to bear arms and pursue the right to life, iberty and happiness, although not necessarily in that order. We are left with the impression that Tibet might become fe if there werea new word order in which the United States of America played the Hollywood and Yosemite were Tibetans paying the roles ‘of celebrities and park wardens. supercop at ‘exported to Tibet, Harris and Peery proceed inthe characteris cally small stides of Canadians and rely of unarmed reason 10 make their case for Tibet, nger pointing is kept 19 a minimum in Harris's text and is generalize in Perry ~ no one need feel ether singled out or left ou. Subtle modesty ‘an bring practical results where impulsive and sel.ndulgent bombast comes up empty-handed. Then again, if the house is on fire and the ids are inside, subtlety is not necessarily the best pli. ©!