Artist's reflections-
Just as before, it was startling to see how intensely people reacted to the piece, even to the point of tears in some cases. I heard all of the things I had hoped for- that it caused deep reflection and catharsis, that they felt connected to other people, that they questioned their lives, their definitions, their relationships with their experiences and each other.
What I did not expect was that once the yarn was all gone and there was no space left that people steadily continued to walk through the piece, pointing to each statement they would have marked, talking through it with friends and strangers. I even found a piece of string that I did not put out there, that someone added on their own.
There were statements that were much more trafficked at the music festival than at the Alchemy show- "Music moves me." is perhaps unsurprising, but "I love my family" was also extremely well covered. Some, such as "I have been raped" were extremely sparse compared to the Alchemy show (was it a less safe feeling atmosphere I wonder?). Others were consistent in every version, including the test. For example: "I am fortunate" continued to have nearly every thread through it.
This piece continues to surprise me, and I am eager to try new iterations of it. This iteration is being kept as a completed piece, preserved as an artifact of the particular time, place and people that shaped it. |
