Sorry Art World: Blog 7

When we went to the Walker some weeks ago, we saw the stage for “Naked” by Eiko and Koma. The stage, consisting of a nest of damp straw, feathers, and folded canvas, is surrounded by burned canvas covered in sweet rice paste, bird feathers, and large particles of sea salt. A generated breeze blows through the space and water drips periodically into the soil. Bird sounds accompany amplified sounds of the dancer’s bodies as they slowly move around together on the stage. Six hours a day, six days a week, Eiko and Koma are there moving around, performing their piece.

At first, I was totally shocked that two people rolling in piles of straw and soil could be called art. This shock made me want to learn more so I could make a more informed statement about it, for I never want to come off as arrogant.

I went back to the Walker and witnessed the performance for myself, then read through the Walker’s pamphlet on the piece, for I did not get the chance to talk to either of the artists in person. If I had to guess the point of the piece without any outside information, I would honestly be guessing in the dark. The piece, in their words, is placed in the museum in order to allow the viewer to focus on their bodies’ relation to time, space, and the environment. They say the body offers a radical questioning, not in asking questions, but in questioning as a state of being. The idea of them telling a story of some sort, as present in a lot of art, is gone. They wanted to take away the story and only leave time and presence.

This piece needs to be seen in order for you to gain a full grasp of it, so I’m glad I went. But, sadly to say, I was not moved. Maybe my preconceived notions of this piece got in the way, even though I tried to not let them, but I just find it hard to meditate on two naked people moving around in feathers. I’m not trying to cheapen the experience, for some have told me how they became engulfed in the performance, that it was even somewhat like meditating, but for me it was not. What am I supposed to gain by contemplating these movements, sounds, and surroundings in contrast with what I know? I’m not sure. Not to be offensive, but you can role in a bed of feathers and call it art and say it has deep meaning, but I for one am not going to buy into it. Sorry art world.

-Tyler Lauer