In September 2014, visual arts student Emma Sulkowicz, then a senior at Columbia University, picked up a dorm mattress, and moved it with them as they went about their daily life. They would ultimately carry it until their graduation ceremony in May 2015. An endurance art project, they hoped to bring attention to an alleged rape that had occurred to them 3 years prior. The media quickly picked up on the project, and was the target of intense scrutiny. Many art critics praised it for its boldness and conspicuous nature, and various political pundits similarly applauded it for its critique of rape culture. It was also sharply criticized, as a number of columnists felt that it was unfair to their alleged rapist, calling it “shaming without proof”. Some commentators also questioned its validity as art. Regardless, I was reminded of this endurance art piece when looking over Project 4, since it similarly takes place on a campus to bring attention to something.
Foundations of Art, Design, + Digital Culture 