Russell Smith
Russell Smith is a recent fine art graduate, having graduating from the Manchester School of Art. Russell’s main interests are examining the social structures created by nations to segregate, inform and often control its populations.
A Day in the News.
This interest into structures has led Russell to examining the mainstream media of many major states. From the UK to China the difference between news reports of each country vary drastically, and this is what Russell wanted to raise awareness of with his work. All drawings are made from recordings taken from a nations most popular news outlet. All recorded on the same date and then layered and displayed in individual drawings to contrast the difference in nations news reports. This shows hints of political motives in the supposedly free and unregulated medium that the media is supposed to be.
The particular dates of these drawings coincide with a momentous global event, the stills having been recorded from news programs aired on September the 11th, 15 years on from the 9/11 attacks in 2001.The news reports were expected by Russell to contain footage of 9/11 memorials and reminders of the harrowing events. There were very few references, even in the western media. The absence of mentions of events such as 9/11 reinforces the point of political motivation in the media, with China showing no footage of 9/11 and Russia showing very minimal footage. This documentation of multiple states media differences is an attempt to raise awareness of how the media is often assumed to be a neutral outlet, but in reality is often a vehicle for political promotion.