“Stability and Other Tenuous Positions” A collaboration between artists Ward Shelley and Alex Schweder. Just heard about this on NPR a few minutes ago and had to get online to check it out.
“Life inside “Stability” is, predictably, quite unstable. Every movement one of them makes has an impact on the entire landscape. One person can visit the bathroom without the other moving, for example. “But then it inclines to about 30 degrees … and you spill drinks and things like that,” says Shelley.”
“Both artists say the experience has caused them to reflect on the dynamics of their own relationships.”
It’s interesting to see how a simple project, such as living in a full size see-saw, can produce such fascinating and introspective results. Too much money and time is spent on voraciously seeking out the latest self-help book, or strength assessment tests, or (God forbid) spiritual gifts tests, or therapy sessions, which, by enlarge, are all outside-in pursuits. We look and look for some objective authority to bring greater clarity to our lives and inherent disfunctions. But, when we actually produce work with our hands, we can recognize our authority within. That is, we can, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, notice our own prevailing authorities that dictate our relationships and interactions.
You may think I’m getting too philosophical with my response here, but that is what art is supposed to do! Too much art making has been relegated to the margins of decoration, which is ultimately to preserve good feelings. Not necesarrily a bad thing, but I think we need more art that disrupts us, not in a negative way, but in a dynamic way (like a see saw!). I think this piece is an excellent example of art that disrupts us, well, at least for the participants involved. In a very explicit way, they actually had to think about every move they made and how it affected the other person. It’s a wonderful exercise that allows you to peer into you deeper motivations that drive your interactions with people. It’s a teeter-totter! The teeter is self focused and the totter is others focused. Fascinating!!!
Not to mention, that the fact that they are living in a “house” has some serious implications given the instability of the housing market and economy. Perhaps, when the “house” is instable we have to think about others more; we have to think about our relationships, because that’s all we have.
And! This piece just made me think about the story in the Bible where Jesus is sleeping on the boat during the raging storm. Because this house kind of operates as a boat – and if one person is sleeping and the other gets up to go to the kitchen the whole rig will slant at about 30 degrees – How could you sleep peacefully?
Damn! Art is Cool!
What do you think?
