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Artist Steve Rowell's use of sound and drones

tschuetz

In the interview with Emily Roehl, artist Steve Rowell describes his style in contrast to the more "didactic" approach of land use and documentary photography. Instead, he has come to combine his visual works with sound installations that are meant to unsettle. These sounds are often generated based on air pollution data that he has collected (Roehl and Rowell, 2022, p. 137). Rowell further describes how changes in the development of aerial video and photography technology have shaped his work. In the past, Rowell would rent expensive camera equipment and attach them to a helicopter to generate fly-over images (Roehl and Rowell, 2022, p. 140). Though commercial drones have become available, Rowell says that he soon got dissatisfied with the "slick" images they produce. When using drones, Rowell relies on an angle that faces down or is close-up, creating feelings of uncanniness. These unusual perspectives are combined with split imagery and mirroring to achieve a specific effect: “There’s a value in giving the viewer/listener a chance to distrust the work in the same way there’s value in giving them room to question the work. The landscapes I feature are all altered. What landscape isn’t now? That’s the point.” (Roehl and Rowell, 2022, p. 140).

Artist Steve Rowell

tschuetz

Steve Rowell is an educator and research artist, currently working on “long-term projects that use image, sound, and archival practice to interrogate the relationship between humans, industry, and the environment” (Roehl and Rowell, 2022, p. 136). Rowell has worked extensively with the Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI) in Los Angeles, including a comissioned project for which he photographed every petrochemical plant in Texas (ibid, p. 137). In subsequent projects, he has focused on tracing pipelines going from the Alberta Tar Sands to petrochemical communities in Long Beach, California and Port Arthur, Texas. Another recent project focuses on the industrial ecology of Houston's Buffalo Bayou

Reading Azusa photo essay

ntanio

The photo essay captures the complexity of place and the intersectional challenges embedded in everyday life in Asuza. In particular your discussion of encampments (a problem endemic to the wilderness areas in the Foothills as well as urban areas like washes, and under freeways) is much appreciated because it is something residents encounter all the time and yet there is a generalize silence about this topic. 

I feel, as in all our work on the SGV, the greater Los Angeles metropole has such an huge influence on the area--on traffic, the housing market, schools etc. I would like to see this essay embedded within multiple studies of Southern California, including mapping projects that connect it regionally to other communities as well as locally enmeshed institutions that shape the daily lives of local inhabitants.

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Alexi Martin

The policy is the 9/11 Health and Compensation act, it aims to extend and improve protection and servies to individuals directly affected by 9/11. It aims to provide continuing funding for health and promises to treat those affected  by9/11. It also reinstates a fund for those who have suffered injuries or death as a result of 9.11 or what happened afterwards. To collect compensation for injury.

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Alexi Martin

The policy was drafted by senator Bob Hernadez and Carolyn Maloney as well as 9.11 victims and survivors and for Mr. Zadragra whose death is considered the 'first' death as a direct cause of 9.11. Others who drafted the bill was senators Schuner, with members of Congres Nalder and King and the president of the interantional association of fighter fighters Harold Schittgerer.

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Alexi Martin

The policy was an amendment of an earlier policy that guarenteed compensation and healthcare to those affected by 9/11. This previous bill, however would stop providing help in Fall 2016. An amendment to reauthorize the bill was posed in 2015 and the bill was renewed and made permenant to remember 9.11. The originial policy had a difficult time getting passed due to an uneven vote in congress and negative opinions. 

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Alexi Martin

The policy addresses matters of public health because it ensures people who were affected by 9.11 get the help and support they need. It provides money and healthcare to those who were hurt physically or mentally by the attack on the world trade center. The act itself identifies possible issues ( a braod spectrum) that could be a driect fault of the attack, it also offers a board if the issue is not listed- to be treated.

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Alexi Martin

The policy has been recieved positively by the public. Many people believe remembering 9/11 is more than a memory. It is something so drastic that affected the entire country. So everyone felt it needed to be enacted into law. The public was estatic about continuing support for innocent people who lost their lives due to the actions of others.