| 'Precision:Hand-made' was shown in the community events calender in Thursday's(june 10) issue of the infamous Gallup Independent, a quasi-tabloid publication. i was happy--of course--but had to chuckle at the irony...you see, this collage in particular does not hold Gallup in high regard...but the town is fascinating to me for many reasons: -its distinctive creepiness as the starting point of the former US Hwy 666; which was given its name cos Gallup was the 6th town west-bound along Route 66. -There is a distinctive--and overt--Class System in the town, as throughout all of the West...the descendants of the first settlers of Gallup include a large Italian contingent, Polish, followed by a few scattered Nationalities here and there; i understand there were a few Japanese families as well. And of course, the Hispanic Population is probably the most predominant...especially mexican immigrants who mostly live in Gamerco, a shout n' holler north of Gallup. But, since the 1980s, there has been an influx of Palestinian entrepeneurs who've set foot-hold in the Native Art Market, by banking in on gawdy 'see the indians' decor of the 1950s;steel teepees, loud coloured billboards, and plastic jewelry passed off as the real thing. There's also a mosque in Gallup, surrounded by a large fence. 100 millionaires call McKinley county home, the largest ratio in New Mexico, i believe...( santa fe?) -needless to say, a large portion of the Artisans that furnish the Jewelry Market in Gallup are native american(Zuni,Navajo,Hopi, other assorted pueblos) and--unfortunately--have allowed the market to be dictated by various business owners, most of which are non-native; thus the air of discontent. - Alcohol Fuels the town of Gallup What better scenario for a lo fi-miminalist-dare i say- 'political' punk band to hock a loogie at that settlement of ill repute? Its stench carries over, 25 miles North... (This borax soapbox is holding steady) Back to the collage, its about the underbelly that goes unnoticed by most passerbyers but is obvious to those without sporty sunglasses and an excellent sense of smell. A photo i took of the Log Cabin Lodge, is found at the bottom...it was an abandoned tourist trap motel that was used by vagrants and chronic alcoholics; to me, it epitomizes everything Gallup is...a contradiction...like a closet schizophrenic trying so hard to appear harmless that its own 'id' becomes even more warped and grotesque...its no surprise that Oliver Stone used this motel in Natural Born Killers. The 'hands' without body are the hands of Divinity...harnessing nature to ensure the Creator's Creation...Very Benevolent. The hand of Postmodern Man is implied to as an artificial attempt to assume the role of the Deities, but not as a servent of the Creator, but to assume the role of Creator...sacrilege. The 'matting' along the corner is a spliced photo of a '7 UP' soda machine i took a photo of at another (now demolished) vagrant hangout called 'el Hopi' motel...i wondered how many neglected native children bought soda from that machine(mid-70s era), comforted by the sweet taste, as their parents drank themselves to death...a subliminal reminder of innocence lost. The color tone did not translate very well onto newsprint... |
 |