Wrinkles of the City
JR
Despite being a new city, LA is the second largest city in the United States. With the birth of the Hollywood myth in LA, a new identity was created for the city – one of glamour, perfection, and flawlessness. Plastic surgery has become a way of life in much of the developed world, and is socially accepted. (jr-art.net) Much of the identity of LA has to do with the superficial idea that “’beauty is only skin deep.’” (The Culture Trip) The visual signs of aging are no longer a normal sight to see. JR’s goal is to juxtapose the wrinkles of old people living in LA, which symbolize the marks they have made on the city, with the new image of perfection and revitalized concept of beauty in the 21st century, both in LA and across the world. The project aims to look at the literal meaning of wrinkles, and what they represent. (The Culture Trip)
The participants in the project are proud of their wrinkles. As one woman says: “My wrinkles stand for thinking and looking and seeing the world. . . going through the Nazi period, going through the persecution of the Jews.” (jr-art.net) Other participants say they like to make an impression and leave something for the future, posing in whatever way they choose, to show a certain part of themselves. Others say it is nice to know that others will remember their existence. One participant added that we must not “discount the people with botox and pumped up lips and so on, [as] they’re just survivors too.” (jr-art.net) We all have a story, none more important than another.
Wrinkles of the City LA is part of a worldwide project. In Cartegena, JR displays members of the community that lived through and can remember the Spanish Civil War. In Shanghai, JR highlights the importance of remembering what the elderly have to pass on to the young, and to remind the busy people of bustling Shanghai of their history. In Havana, JR joined with Cuban-American artist José Parlá to photograph and create murals of senior citizens who had lived through the Cuban Revolution. In Berlin, JR displayed the elderly inhabitants of Berlin who have lived through turbulent times in recent history. For many of the Berlin participants, the project enabled them to face the troubles of their past, and at the same time gain social significance. (The Culture Trip)
Wrinkles of the City LA is part of a worldwide project. In Cartegena, JR displays members of the community that lived through and can remember the Spanish Civil War. In Shanghai, JR highlights the importance of remembering what the elderly have to pass on to the young, and to remind the busy people of bustling Shanghai of their history. In Havana, JR joined with Cuban-American artist José Parlá to photograph and create murals of senior citizens who had lived through the Cuban Revolution. In Berlin, JR displayed the elderly inhabitants of Berlin who have lived through turbulent times in recent history. For many of the Berlin participants, the project enabled them to face the troubles of their past, and at the same time gain social significance. (The Culture Trip)
Sources
"The Wrinkles of the City - Los Angeles." JR. Alabaz, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
Finney, Sophie. "France." JR: 'The Wrinkles of the City' Projects. Naked Creativity, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
"The Wrinkles of the City - Los Angeles." JR. Alabaz, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
Finney, Sophie. "France." JR: 'The Wrinkles of the City' Projects. Naked Creativity, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.