The Inspiration of Binh Danh - Research Paper Example

BINH DANH: Introduction: Binh Danh is a very popular in the world of arts and photography. He was born in 1977 to a Viet se couple. He was immigrated to United States with his parents in 1979 (Sparks, 2006). He is known for his work in photography most particularly and also, as an artist. Each print on a leaf from his mother’s garden tells the viewer an event, a piece of history and a story of suffering. His collection is a series of events ranging from his personal experiences to collective experiences. Starting from the natural process of printing to transforming the prints into digital technology; Danh has proved his versatility and experience in the field of photography and printing. In his words, "Its almost my religious practice when I make my own artwork because Im coming up with my own concept about what is life, what is death, what is consciousness, what is history.” (Sparks, 2006). Binh Danh has tried to pay respect through his work to the people who have suffered during the war of Vietnam; the soldiers, the common man and the children who lost their parents during the brutality of war. Binh Danh’s Inspiration: In Binh Danh’s own words, “ for me its becomes almost a religion, it’s almost my own religious practice when I make my own artwork, because I am coming up with my own concept of what is life and what is death, what is consciousness and what is history” (Sparks, 2006). Binh Danh has derived his inspiration from the life he had seen in Vietnam; the war, the tragic incidents of life and death that moved around him. His work displays more reality and it is closer to the bitter realities and life circumstances faced by every Vietnamese. His main theme of the work is focused on the subject of life and death. His photographs reflect the memories of his stay in Vietnam which made him suffered in a bad way. His images portray violence, blood, death and war scenes that are scribbled on his mind. His images clearly tell the scenes of war in Vietnam and the political crisis that overall affected the wheel of economy of the country. Technique: Binh Danh used a uniquely different technique in his photography which distinguishes his work from the rest of the work. He invented his own technique which is different from what was being used by the other artists. His technique is innovative and as well as, it is organic in nature. His style is also known as chlorophyll technique in which the artist uses the most suitable leaf to take a print on it. Sometimes he picks fresh leaves for more clear images and sometimes, he also picks leaves which are marred by the insects or if they are getting damaged from the weather. He says that prints on such leaves can add pain or injury to the overall printed scene. For this purpose, he places the negatives of the photographs on the leaves and the covered them with a fine glass and then, they are exposed to the sunlight for days. After several days of remaining in the sunlight, Binh Danh encapsulates them in a specially designed cast which is formed in a solid block of resin. His different organic technique reflects his loves and interest in science and nature. He says that printing on leaves has given a real meaning and life to his work which has become closer to the Mother Nature. Binh Danh’s Works: Binh Danh’s works are an example of paradox experiences. His work holds a special connection between the real-life experiences and the history itself. Both revolve around the sensitive issues. His work revolves around the greater fact that how history deteriorates from the pages of life and at the same time, it showcases that how Bing Danh has put in struggle and efforts in making the works become alive and resistant to time. His works resists the decomposition of history and life itself. He has tried his best to make the history become alive from his work (David Pescovitz). His imprinting technique holds a greater meaning in real life. For example, the printing on leaves which are attached to trees and plants who stand tall in the sun; absorbing the energy and the heat when falls onto the ground, become decomposed and fail to collect the energy and heat from the sun which is still available to them. But looking at the brighter side, the fallen and the decomposed leaves are still there to nourish the plant they were attached by turning into soil. Similarly, the same concept has been pinned by Binh Danh in his photography. He has highlighted that people are like leaves too. They are attached to the world and in the same manner, the go through the same historical events which shape their lives either a good way or a bad way. Throughout the process, they create memories which they absorb from their surroundings. Finally, people die just like the leaves wither and fall on the ground. These people remain forever there; even after they die, they never give up on nourishing the lives of many people around them through their collected memories (David Pescovitz). Danh’s work reflects the same themes and the connection between the humans and the history. Both of them are mandatory for one another. Some of Binh Danh’s Work: Binh Danh has created some of the excellent master pieces in the world of arts and photography by using the natural printing techniques through photosynthesis. Some of his distinguishable pieces include the series of skillfully imprinted leaves with the images of dead soldiers. The withered leaves have been imprinted with the images of the dead American soldiers who died within a week dated May 28th to June 3rd, 1969. Those images were collected from the issue of magazine called, “Life” which were titled as ‘One Week’s Dead’. Binh has skillfully printed the images of the dead soldiers hence, turning them immortal (Kenneth Baker). Another series of skillfully printed images is the album of “Searching for the Cosmos.” Danh has used the downloaded images of the night sky, the moon and other celestial bodies from the internet. He has then printed the negatives of the images separately on each leaf. It is an excellent album of photography which has produced uniquely different prints on leaves such as, one of the leaves has the print of a starry night which is formed due to the interruption in the process of photosynthesis. The result was a beautiful yellow leaf with an image of a starry sky in shadowy night (Kenneth Baker). At the same time, Danh has depicted his religious beliefs in his works. His work for the Oakland museum show in 2003 showcases his offerings and affiliation for his religion. The show has different photographs of the dead people, the candles and the statue of the Buddha. Danh being the follower of Buddhism has clearly offered his respect for his religion and deceased relatives. According to him, “I come from a Vietnamese Buddhist background, so in my house there are many altars dedicated to many deceased relatives.” (San Francisco Chronicle). Conclusion: From the above discussion and observing the work of the artist it has been noted that he has produced a tremendous work which is filled with creativity and holds the history of mankind with the cycle of nature and life. Danh is not a conventional photographer; his work explores the unanswered questions that revolve around the biggest human destruction in his native land, Vietnam. Danh’s work holds deeper meaning for those who want to explore the history and the cost of war that humans had to face. He is the first photographer to use the power sun and heat in his work. His efforts have produced some magnificent art pieces showcasing the memories of the history. After analyzing his work, it can be stated that most of his work revolves around the most painful events in the life of a human being. Binh Danh showcases what his family felt during the Vietnam War; he has tried to encapsulate the feelings from the eyes of his parents on withered leaves to restore the memories of an event that changed the life of many people. He says, “I try to look at all positions and learn from history. So we don’t repeat it again.” (Sparks, 2006). It reflects the death and life of human beings and leaves and how they become immortal after leaving their traces on the pages of history. Works Cited: Binh Danh, interview "New Memories of an Old War," Spark, KQED/PBS, (2006) http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/spark/profile.jsp?essid=7660 accessed on 14th March 14, 2013 Baker, Kenneth. "Artists leave the camera out of the picture". San Francisco Chronicle (2003) http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Artists-leave-the-camera-out-of-the-picture-2571084.php accessed on 13th March 13, 2013 Pescovitz, David. "Binh Danhs chlorophyll prints". Boing Boing (2006) http://boingboing.net/2006/10/23/binh-danhs-chlorophy.html accessed on 13th March 13, 2013 Hendricks, Tyche. Dia de los Muertos. San Francisco Chronicle (2003). http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Dia-de-los-Muertos-Artists-from-around-the-2579894.php accessed on 13th March 13, 2013 Read More