Vladimir Zivanovic
My Movie
My collage is a story of my family’s life as we have experienced many dramatic events together. The collage is story of how and what happened. To start everything off, the worried face on the left is me. Sweat is pouring down my forehead as I remember everything that happened to me in the past. On the bottom right of the face is a picture of war tanks approaching a burning city, which represents the NATO bombing of Belgrade, Serbia in 1998. My family was still living in Belgrade at this time. Along the bottom right side in the corner is a picture of a green card and a social security card which represent our move to the USA in 1998. Right above is a busy, tired and worried boy, walking and carrying computer accessories which is a symbol of how tough it was for my mom, my brother and me to get accustomed to the American lifestyle. We experienced many hardships with the language, money, not knowing anyone and so on. Right above that is a warning sign that predicts terrorism. The burning flames, the airplane and the Twin Towers, cut out from an American flag represent September 11th, 2001. My mom was in the north building at the time of the attack but luckily she managed to escape and return home safely. In the very middle is a bag with a very symbolic meaning. The writing on it represents me growing up and finally having the right to vote and have a say in what goes on in this world. The bag itself is also another symbol of my family’s move to the USA and finally the red apple sticking out of the bag is New York. Since we moved to America, my family and I have been living in New York and we don’t plan on moving anywhere. Along the right side, and along the picture of the war is a rolling film which stands for all the tragedies that occurred to my family. I feel like everything that is happening is so movie-like and consecutive, just like a premeditated movie that is being shot by a director who guides his actors so that he can achieve the best effect.
December 10th, 2006 at 8:30 pm
I wanted to comment on this one because it is the only collage that is black and white. First of all, your placement of the cartoon is great because it creates the impression that all these things have occured, not just around you, but are in the “back” of your mind at all times. I find it very interesting that you have not taken your right to vote for granted. Many people are eligible to vote, but that doesn’t mean they do. Although your hair is not that cool in real life, it does look like you appear to be “shocked” in the picture by all the things that have happened in your life.
December 13th, 2006 at 12:22 am
I love how you’ve chosen to make your collage black and white. In my opinion, black and white pieces often reveal many things/details about its makers that would otherwise go unnoticed or unseen. The description you’ve written to go along with it really gives me a deeper understanding of who you are.
So many things have happened in your life! No wonder why you compare it to a movie. I hope your life to come has many great adventures as well (good ones, of course)!
December 13th, 2006 at 12:42 am
Vlad, I think it was interesting that you chose to do your collage in black and white. The choice of colors really sets the tone of the work, which seems to me to be very stark and harsh. What I saw first was the word SEVERE from the terrorism prediction sign, and after reading your essay, I can see that this is appropriate-politics and world events are behind many of the serious events in your (and your family’s) life. Since you placed the voting “equation” in the middle of the collage, I assume you value that right very much. Kudos to you
December 13th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
I definitely agree with everyone else. The black and white stood out among the other collages because it was different. I also can’t imagine what this collage would be in color because it is such a heavy topic. The black and white complements the heavy theme of the collage. However, I think it would have had a stronger effect if the flames were red and everything else was kept black and white.