The Work

* Each dated collage was made using that week’s news. The captions below highlight key stories, but look closely and you’ll find more in the layers

Projectile News:
Week of January 1, 2018 (24” × 30”)

Selected headlines include the rise of the MeToo movement, GOP efforts to criminalize the Steele dossier’s author, and growing fears of Russian influence in American democracy.

Code Red
Week of February 11, 2018 (24” × 30”)

This week’s collage captures a moment that gripped the nation; the Parkland, Florida school shooting that sparked a teen uprising, the cultural breakthrough of Black Panther, and global unity at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

In a week of nonstop headlines I narrowed the lens to one story, the return of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram. Their rescue, amplified by global voices including Michelle Obama’s, became a symbol of what global solidarity makes possible.

Bring Back Our Girls
Week of April 8, 2018 (30” × 24”)

Snatched
Week of June 17, 2018 (12” × 16”)

This week’s collage captures the horror of the U.S. family separation policy, spotlighting the national symbol, the bald eagle, as complicit in cruelty and the collective numbness of those who allowed and justified it.

WTF
Week of July 15, 2018 (24” × 30”)

Trump sides with Putin over U.S. intelligence live from Helsinki, as shockwaves ripple globally, GOP leaders and Fox News contort themselves to justify the unjustifiable, even clinging to the absurd claim that Trump simply misspoke one word: “would” vs. “wouldn’t.” Many were left stunned, furious and asking, WTF.

Caution!
Week of October 21, 2018 (36” × 24”)

This week’s collage spotlights the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, escalating violence from far-right extremists, and the Trump administration’s unapologetic embrace of Saudi wealth and power. With global outrage rising, the triangle warns: when violence, silence and greed align, proceed with caution.

The Resistance
Week of November 11, 2018 (36” × 24”)

Democrats retake the House in what headlines declared “The Year of the Woman” as a historic number of women flip seats and shift the balance of power. A New York Times Magazine cover catalogs the growing threat of right-wing extremism, listing violent attacks since Trump’s election. Meanwhile, Facebook is finally called to account before Congress for its role in spreading disinformation.

The Process

Tick, Tick, Tick: Week 12 of 2018

I Am… Week 14 of 2018

Let’s Connect:
Helen Hamblin
HH.HelenHamblin@gmail.com