Genocide project.
- Artist Statement
Even after all the violence, Pol Pot thinks his actions were rational: “even now, you can look at me, am I a savage person. My conscience is clear.” He stated the killing of political opponents was justified as self defense. He turned the country into a labour camp working in primitive conditions. When Pol Pot's brother was interviewed "He made much difficulty for people," Saloth Nhep remembers. "I am very angry. What he did was wrong." This shows Pol Pot's family was very against his actions and beliefs, He was not raised into his ideology. He used the secret Cambodia air raids as propaganda against Vietnam and the west. “We heard a terrifying noise which shook the ground; it was as if the earth trembled, rose up and opened beneath our feet. Enormous explosions lit up the sky like huge bolts of lightning; it was the American B-52-s”, I witness claimed. This greatly strengthened the Khmer Rouge.
I chose the genocide because I was interested In Pol Pot's ideology and how he developed his vision for a communist utopia. I thought it was very interesting that Pol Pot hated intellectuals even though he got a scholarship to study radio electronics. I also found It interesting that his scholarship was cut short due many failed exams. I researched how he manipulated the masses to welcome him only to find his vision involved killing millions. He also used the secret Cambodia bombing raids as propaganda against Vietnam. I also researched Cambodia under Pol Pot's rule, cities were evacuated and he tried to destroy all signs of modern life. He forced the population to live as peasants, frequently punishing people of “high society” or “intellectuals.” His vision was essentially to turn Cambodia into a giant rice field.
Project Reflection
The part of the project that I am most proud of is the background painting. It was a subtle element of my project but I think it tied the genocide aesthetic of my project together. I painted the background of poster board I used black with hints of purple. My favorite part of the process was the red splatters on top of the on top of the background. The splatters looked a little bit like blood and gave off a creepy vibe to match the project.
If I had one more week to work on this project I would have used better materials and worked on formatting my text in a more easy to read and aesthetically pleasing way on my board. I would have used wood and pasted my text more professionally. I noticed at the exhibition people had a hard time reading the info on my board. My text was too small and it was too obviously a piece of paper glued on. Also, my flaps that contained info were attached with tape, which made my project look overall unprofessional and poorly constructed.
My main difficulty with this project was staying on task and and using my time wisely. We were researching genocide for so long that I struggled to stay engaged. I didn't use a lot of my time wisely and I spent to much time researching sources that didn't have valuable info relating to my project. Also, being on my computer so much i got distracted and used my time to watch youtube videos instead of research. Also I procrastinated on starting the construction physical element to my project wich made it look unprofessional.
I think the most valuable thing I learned throughout this project is the value of staying on task no matter how you feel coming to school. Throughout the semester I came to school unmotivated and not in best of moods. I had to overcome my unwillingness to work and convince myself to work and finish my project on time.
If I had one more week to work on this project I would have used better materials and worked on formatting my text in a more easy to read and aesthetically pleasing way on my board. I would have used wood and pasted my text more professionally. I noticed at the exhibition people had a hard time reading the info on my board. My text was too small and it was too obviously a piece of paper glued on. Also, my flaps that contained info were attached with tape, which made my project look overall unprofessional and poorly constructed.
My main difficulty with this project was staying on task and and using my time wisely. We were researching genocide for so long that I struggled to stay engaged. I didn't use a lot of my time wisely and I spent to much time researching sources that didn't have valuable info relating to my project. Also, being on my computer so much i got distracted and used my time to watch youtube videos instead of research. Also I procrastinated on starting the construction physical element to my project wich made it look unprofessional.
I think the most valuable thing I learned throughout this project is the value of staying on task no matter how you feel coming to school. Throughout the semester I came to school unmotivated and not in best of moods. I had to overcome my unwillingness to work and convince myself to work and finish my project on time.