Work Title: Hate / Like

Artist: Barbara Kruger

Collage using powerful, short phrases and single words mixed with images of different sizes.

I chose to focus on marriage laws in America.  Currently, there is a heated debate raging on whether or not same sex couples should be allowed to marry.  I chose this topic because it is something I believe strongly in.  I believe that the government should not play a role in whether or not two individuals of legal age will be married.  I also chose this topic because it has been high publicized in the media and has attracted a lot of attention over the past few years.  A song that I tie closely to this topic is “Same Love” by Macklemore.  In this song, he says:

“It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference!”

 I think this is very well put and I may want to draw connections to same sex marriage and other civil rights movements throughout our history.  Currently, there are only state laws, which dictate if same sex couples can be married.  The Supreme Court recently over saw two cases on the subject and are currently debating.   The judges are debating if the Federal Defense of Marriage Act violates equal protection guaranteed in the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.  These cases include appeals from states such as California, Massachusetts and New York along with many others.  It is clear that within the next few months there will be many large changes made regarding same sex marriage in America.

I associate the following things with the subject:

1. Wedding band ring
2. Church
3. Picketing
4. Kissing/lips
5. Supreme court/white house
6. Hand holding
7. Rainbow flag/colors
8. Wedding cake topper
9. Gender symbols
10. Equal sign

I chose a Japanese story because the Japanese have a strong cultural connection to the firefly and many interesting traditions surrounding it.  The story says that there was once a man and women who lived in a forest near Mount Fujiyama in Japan.  The couple wished for a child but had not been able to conceive.  One night, the women lay beneath the great mountain and prayed for a child.  As she prayed, a light appeared from the top of the mountain and drifted towards the women.  When the light reached the women, she was overjoyed to see that it was a Moonchild sent from the Lady of the Moon.  The couple raised the moonchild and she grew to be the Moon Princess.  At the climax of the story, the Emperor’s son falls in love with her and wishes to marry her.  The girl refused because she had to return back to her mother when she turns 20.  On that day, the Lady of the Moon sent down a beam of light and the Princess floated up towards the moon while her family and loved ones watched.  As she floated, she cried for those she had to leave behind.  As the tear fell they became silver and traveled across the land.  Today, her tears can still be seen on moonlight nights.

There are a few big moments in this Japanese myth.  The three large moments that stand out are when the mother receives the child from the Lady of the Moon, when the Emperor’s son falls in love with the Moon Princess and when the Princess must leave her loved ones.

For the purposes of this project, I believe I will change the story slightly so that the Moon Princess gives gifts to her loved ones before she leaves.  She will perhaps give them a light in some sort of glass jar or container.  This has a strong connection to how I think of fireflies because I often caught them in jars as a child.  She can give them a gift so one of my frames can include the bugs in a container.  When she leaves she can still cry and allow them to spread across the land.

I selected the firefly because I find their glowing very interesting and always enjoyed catching them as a child.  The firefly is classified under Lampyridae in one of five families.  The Photurinae firefly is most common in North America.  Interestingly, not all fireflies light up although that is what they are known for.

Fireflies use their light for communication as well as defending their territory, warning off attackers, and attracting a mate.  In most firefly species, both genders glow.  The male will fly while the female remains mostly stationary in trees, grasses and shrubs.  When the female spots an attractive male, she glows to signal him.

Firefly’s tails contain two chemicals, which allow them to glow.  The tail contains luciferase and luciferin.  These two chemicals glow when under the right conditions.  ATP in the body of a firefly will convert to energy and initiate the glowing.  The chemicals found in the firefly tail can be used by doctors and researchers.  When these chemicals are injected into diseased cells, they can detect anomalies, which can help identify different diseases such as cancer.  Along with adult fireflies, the firefly egg has also been observed flashing in response to some type of stimuli in it’s environment.

Fireflies exist on all continents except for Antarctica.  They enjoy warm, humid areas and often come out during the summertime.  Because fireflies can be found all over the world, there are many different myths surrounding their glowing.   I spent a lot of time as a child trying to catch fireflies and their presence would signal the beginning of summer for me.