Hidden in Plain Sight

This infographic reflects both capitalism and the indoctrination within everyday life. At the front is George Washington, representing the foundation of the U.S. Surveillance, I.D.ing, tracking of expenditures, Lady Liberty, and the concept of justice, money, and the economy all work together to communicate the capitalist vision in the modern 21st century. They work together to create capitalism as an institution and perpetuate it in communities, daily life, and as a national identity to keep it strong.

‘Branded,’ a headshot I took of myself coated in newspaper headlines, speaks to my experience as a person of color in America, specifically Davidson College. I used water to put the paper on my skin, and it made the paper translucent. I picked headlines from the Davidsonian, an independent student newspaper, I believe would be vaguely applied to my body. Media as a whole has the power to dictate which person is safe in America, and their wording when creating headlines is very important. Though most if not all these headlines are created by students, they are still not neutral and can date back to a very thorough history of racialization within the United States.

I chose headlines such as “crime log,” “Shocking and disturbing radical leftism,” “Community Attends the New Kings Protest,” “Politics at Davidson,” “student visa restrictions,” and “New Evidence Confirms.. housing of enslaved” as a physical reminder of the types of headlines that might be applied to my body. Half of these headlines don’t apply to me, however, my skin color and ethnicity speak for themselves in a predominantly white institution. Holding up a strip of colors next to my face, is a reminder of how skin color dictates your image, and stereotypes applied to your body.

The Davidsonian (Volume 126, Issue 7), Home Depot Color Sample