2008 Woodie Awards
Katharsis: Legitimate expression or worthless crap?
Kathy Oliver
Issue date: 4/8/05 Section: Forum
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I'm all for open expression. Even if it's garish and ugly, it's personal, and as long as it's not physically harmful, I call it an interpretive free-for-all. But there have been some incidents at Guilford in the past few weeks that, while labeled by some as "personal expression," were really just dumb acts of boredom and/or stupidity. And I thought that we could use those examples to establish a difference between legitimate expression and crap.
The Clothesline Project: Here, personally designed t-shirts were strewn along the walls of Founders' underground depicting sentiments on rape, incest, domestic abuse, and other forms of assault. It was daunting, provocative, and maybe even offensive to some. It was fantastic. The project undoubtedly got people to think who make it a point never to think. More importantly, it got its point across without getting in the way of anyone's everyday life. Survey says: legitimate expression.
Stacking Furniture in Founders Lobby. This occurred right around the debut of the Clothesline Project. For no apparent reason, tables and chairs in the main lobby of Founders were stacked in piles, accompanied by a note, identifying the display as "art." I don't think "art," was the right word. Might I suggest "stupid?" How about "obnoxious?" Maybe "not at all creative?" Call it what you want, but the only good thing to come from it was the swiftness with which security showed to correct the situation. Survey says: crap.
Now, do we see the distinction here? Art can be "in your face," without interfering with your day; it can have a point without annoying people. What if I wanted to sit in one of those chairs? Oh, but let me guess, my materialistic desire to sit was the issue being addressed. I can almost guarantee that no one waltzed through Founders lobby and said, "Furniture stacked on top of other furniture? Now that's deep." Let's try some examples involving expression through sound.
The Talib Kweli show in Dana during Serendipity: This goes without saying, but music is art. People came from all over to catch the show and walked away satisfied. Anyone who didn't have time to attend or who didn't like hip-hop didn't have to go. Survey says: legitimate expression.
