I wanted to go visit MAXXI because it was another building we had learned about in AP Art History, and I always like exploring art. I have nothing against contemporary art – and have no right to as a modern artist myself. While I think that people sometimes take advantage of the generous acceptance which has opened up in the world of art, I think that there is a lot more to serious works of modern art than the perhaps minimalistic presentation which initially greets observers. Good art conveys some message, and while I often find artist statements necessary to appreciate the scope or direction of the artist’s thought, I am captivated by the ability of many artists to capture and convey complex ideas without using the analogy of human forms.
I am, however, not a fan of video art (completely different than cinematography) – I think partially because it removes some of the freedom of the viewer to contemplate and appreciate elements of the work in question – and there was quite a lot of this media, so the experience did not take me quite as long as I anticipated.
There were two works which really resonated with me, an installation called “World Record” and a piece of spoken word (technically presented in the form of a video) called “Runscape.”
“World Record” was a large installation of over 100 mattresses. It wasn’t particularly interesting to look at, but that wasn’t the point – it was about interaction. In her artist statement, Paola Pivi emphasized the impact of the requirement of participants taking off their shoes, but I think that that was only the beginning. There were only like two or three feet between the layers of mattresses, so that I was required to crawl to move around or lay down instead of sitting, which was really interesting – and it wasn’t just me, everyone interacting with the exhibit from all walks of life were forced to adopt these juvenile antics.
“Runscape” was super dramatic and theoretical. I only caught the ending of it (I managed to track a transcript of it down later online and read the whole thing), but it managed to catch and hold my attention. It was talking about using running to create a new world, to break free of not only traditions and social expectations of society but of the natural boundaries of time and space.
"Somehow Runscape superimposes another -scape on the real. / It is juxtaposing another space, another time, on the material real. / Never having both or any feet on the ground at the same time, / Do not touch the ground, disengage from the real. / Runscape tackles the daily routine, / resisting the capitalist production of space."
Not only did this piece cover a fascinating line of thought, it did so with such poetic language. Going back to read this piece from its beginning, there was also a lot about the engaging with the city rather than taking it for granted.
"I try to run straight, as fast as I can. / Along the way, the obstacles / Become the supports of my engagement. / I do not reject or ignore them. / I incorporate them within my actions. / Obstacles become multiple extensions of my body. / Like Tetsuo, the iron man, / The city becomes part of my body, / The city is growing inside of me, / Essential to my engagement."
While this was filmed in Hong Kong not Rome, this idea of responding to the city and allowing it to become a part of you life really resonated with me, especially after spending a semester abroad and discussing the body politic.
One of the interesting questions about visiting such a beautiful city is question of whether the people who live here ever take time to experience all the wonderful buildings and opportunities, and unfortunately the answer is probably no. Father Jerome once told me that one of the priests in his class who has been in Rome for 5 years has never been to St. Peter’s Basilica, and given the general trend of people to forget the good things they are surrounded by when focusing on the intricacies of their daily personal life, such occurrences are disappointingly believable.
A habit I have done my best to the retain throughout the semester is always taking in my surroundings, looking up at the buildings as much as I can and sometimes spinning in a complete 360 while walking or waiting at a light, even though I know it pegs me as a foreigner. One of the great opportunities of being abroad for so long is the ability to explore Rome not just see the popular tourist destinations, but there is a temptation to nevertheless treat much of the city as just intervening space rather than something to be seriously considered. There is something to be said about challenging the conventions of treating the city with disregard in order to get something meaningful out of the experience of being abroad.
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