Jim Crow, "separate but unequal"

"It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder."
– W. E. B. Du Bois reflecting on being black in America in the early twentieth century

Art by Frances Bean

This baby, who has now turned into this beautiful young lady is no other than Frances Bean, child of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love and is an artist in her own right. She had an art exhibit wherein she showed some of her creations under the pseudonym Tim Fiddle. Frances Bean’s exhibit of notebook sketches is called Scumf*** and have been called disturbing all over the interwebs.


I like.

A Williams Family Halloween!

It is that time of year where it gets cool and the difficult question arises...what will I be for Halloween? This is the Williams's favorite holiday and costumes take work-we don't just buy them pre-packaged round here! Naseem wanted to be "80's" and since this it too broad he has decided to be Ozone from the infamous movie Breakin'



As for now Rosario has decided to be an Egyptian princess and we will figure out how to do this by actually looking at depictions and putting together something wonderful. She was a witch with a green face last year so she might want to let her beauty shine this year, we'll see if she changes her mind!

A Collection of Work

al images by Nydia Williams ©2010

Proenza Schouler Presents "Act da Fool" by Harmony Korine

Okay, so I have been literally been thinking about this film all weekend. Every time I sat down to do my homework I wanted to make this blog post first. Finally I have because I have formed some ideas about it and on the other hand still grappling with my understanding of it. When I first saw it I was in awe because I though it was so beautiful. Visually it is...it is..just me. The abandoned cars, lens flares, and banality of it all is just a language I speak. I mean, I aim to make photographs charged with the same energy. The bad ass black girls destroying shit somehow makes me feel powerful while speaking to my own "troubled youth". The voice over seems to solidify all the elements into a film, that works and is very effective as a film. So than why, was I so disturbed as I thought about it further. And the answer my friend is exciting, because it is making me think! Last semester I decided to take on African Diaspora studies as my minor, I didn't think WHY, I just knew it was right. This semester I am taking Into to African Diaspora Studies and Punishment, Prisons and Democracy-both of which are very exciting because I am returning to issues about slavery and the lives of black people that I had been neglecting because in actuality they are very painful. So this film has made me confident that there is indeed a correlation between the visual art I create and my new minor, hooray!
One of the first things I learned in my Prisons course is that black women represent the fastest growing population in prison. And knowing this fact made this film not seem quite right as is depicts black girls/women as criminals thus perpetuating that stereotype. Is it okay that the white filmmaker present this image of black girls/women? (because he is not speaking from personal experience or specifically documenting something) Is this film actually about fashion?(or does that meaning get lost because so many other issues with the film arise)....
Okay-back to the film