Not Seen on TV

The video art I chose to write about was “Re-enactments” by Francis Alys and Raphael Ortega. It starts off with Alys asking Ortega to record him leaving a gun store off Palm street, New Mexico with a loaded gun. When Alys leaves the gun store it starts off just like any other day. You don’t see many people being afraid or worried that he is walking around with his hand holding a 9mm Beretta. Throughout the short video I was shocked I did not see more people trying to run away or even look suspicious of what this man might be doing or where he might be headed. The real video focused more on the man itself walking so when I watched the re-enactment I was able to see more people’s expressions. What amazed me was seeing so many people okay with the man wondering the streets with a gun in hand. One man was even shown smiling while pointing to Alys in a short scene. The man walked for quite a while before the cops arrived. I think the message shows how easy it is to buy and carry a gun in New Mexico. Judging by the crowds expression I believe this is almost a “norm” for the residents in the city. It also makes me wonder if there is a high crime rate in the city. It brings a cultural reference to something we wouldn’t see happening here but would be seen in various countries of the world. I can compare this to a poem regarding gun violence called “Words from a Student“. Even though he was not a victim of the school shooting, he was trying to imagine what the children may have felt at that time. Though this man was technically not doing anything wrong, I am disturbed by how it made me feel for the people in the streets that day.