Sunday, November 7, 2010
Jitish Kallat's Public Notice 3: Art Institute of Chicago
http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/kallat
In the first major presentation in an American museum of Jitish Kallat’s work, the contemporary Indian artist has designed a site-specific installation that connects two key historical moments—the First World Parliament of Religions held on September 11, 1893, and the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on that very date, 108 years later. The resulting work, Public Notice 3, creates a trenchant commentary on the evolution, or devolution, of religious tolerance across the 20th and 21st centuries.
With Public Notice 3, Kallat converts Vivekananda’s text to LED displays on each of the 118 risers of the historic Woman’s Board Grand Staircase of the Art Institute of Chicago, adjacent to the site of Vivekananda’s original address. Drawing attention to the great chasm between this speech of tolerance and the very different events of September 11, 2001, the text of the speech is displayed in the colors of the United States’ Department of Homeland Security alert system.
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3 comments:
Hello, I am an EDM 310 student at the University of South Alabama. This looks like such a neat piece of artwork! I can tell that it is a great attention getter that could leave people with pondering thoughts. The artist has put a lot of thought into his project and ended up with a great piece to express those thoughts.
Kellie: It really had people stopping all over the stairs and reading from various levels. The contrast of the neon lights was even more dramatic than the pictures reveal.
Mrs. Baggett,
I am Kristi Bain a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 course and I was also a student of yours during the Summer 2010 term. This piece of artwork is so unique in its relation to those two historical events. It is also such an eye catcher it seems through the pictures and I know it is even better in person. I can see myself there now trying to read every word in neon lights as I walk up the staircase. That is a remarkable piece of artwork.
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