Is this a PARTicipation Grade?

Walking through the various exhibitions at CAM Raleigh was an interesting experience, especially since it overlapped conveniently with our Art as an Area of Knowledge unit in TOK. Overall, I was surprised by the variety and depth of the artwork presented. There wasn't a single piece in the museum whose meaning I was able to discern immediately.

VISUAL ANALYSIS

Stacey L. Kirby: PARTicipate

PARTicipate is an interactive exhibition that was envisioned and created by Stacey L. Kirby. It was open from September 5th Through October 26th. It consisted two ongoing works, The Declaration Project and VALIDnation. It was set in an office space designated as a part of the Bureau of Personal Belonging.

The exhibition had a unique style. Kirby created a dry and seemingly insignificant office space (with reference to the interior style of the typical late 20th century work space) as the setting for an influential, soul searching activity. As viewers entered the exhibition, they were prompted to carry out activities through monotone instructional pamphlets, reminiscent of a government process such as voting for a government position. This style of presentation allowed viewers to focus on the task that Kirby aimed for them to accomplish, which involved putting into words they way they felt about certain controversial subjects.

The concept/idea of the presentation, as mentioned above, was to have viewers put into words the way they feel about certain controversial subjects. This was accomplished through the use of official-looking pamphlets onto which viewers would write their feelings and then proceed to deposit them anonymously in a collection box. This prompted the viewers to dig deep into their own ideals and beliefs and to organize their thoughts on a variety of subjects.

PARTicipate was a very interesting concept which, when put into practice, accomplished its goal very well. As viewers received their "ballots" it was evident upon many of their faces that the questions being asked on the papers that they held were not simple. It is often incredibly difficult to put into words exactly how we feel about controversial subjects, and PARTicipate gave us the opportunity to sit down and focus in order to sort out where we stand.