chiaraclio February 11, 2012 at 7:25 am

Wow, Will, your last photograph (the one with the cops)
is really incredible… so daunting. The angle of the shot really seems to put
the viewer in a seemingly powerless, submissive position in relation to the cops.
Was this at Occupy Wall Street?

grazia February 12, 2012 at 4:18 am

Chiara, you are right. The angle of of the shot makes
manifest the imbalance of power. We see the cops from the point of view of the demonstrators,
who are probably lying down. And yet the cop on the right looks scared, almost
power-less. Where is power, then?

wwiebe February 12, 2012 at 6:58 am

Yeah, it was taken at Occupy. I was down there with
Tobias and another friend from Wesleyan the night OWS took Times Square. This
is actually in the square itself; the calmness of the image really belies the
action of the thousands of people who were thronging around us. You both touch
on what I love about the image–amidst the stasis and solidity of the figures, who
we implicitly submit to (and who mimic the buildings behind them, implying a
certain air of permanence), there’s so much vulnerability in his eyes, a primal
fear like the unblinking gaze of the horse. Despite all the power they
purportedly harness, their reaction reflects the tangible impact of the crowds
around them, so much so that the actual protestors themselves need not be
represented.

Thanks so much for the positive feedback, I really
appreciate it!