Reactions by artists present:
“Upon reflection, I am utterly embarrassed that as I entered the space I
reacted to the veiled woman as if she were an art object or theater prop
instead of a human being. I am aware that in a typical theatrical setting
there is often a distance between the performers and the audience.
However, in this piece it was very evident that I, and my reaction, played
an integral part in the completion of the piece, that I am saddened by my
unwillingness or inability to greet her and react to her like a peer. It
made me keenly aware how the appearance of people and context in which I
engage with them dictates how we interact with each other. This is true
despite my efforts to be an open-minded individual.”
-D.K.
“As a man, for whatever reason, I immediately thought of her in relation to
power, either by maintaining it (tall, stoic, straight-faced, concealed,
controlled, staring…) or relinquishing it (trapped, immobile,
vulnerable…). to be perfectly honest, that power (or lack their of) held
some sort of sexual resonance as well. That is mostly due to the fact that
you put her in an objectified position (stare at me, look me up and down),
but also had her connect with us through her eyes, which were very
attractive, or attractive simply because it was all we really had to look at.”
-A.F.
“There were two equally strong elements in the work: the atmosphere of the unique space and the model. There was a tension in the space, both when confronting the model’s gaze and upon entering an unknown environment. The model could be seen both as a person (because of her eye contact with the audience), and as an iconic object in the space (because she was taller than a human being, and covered with a fabric that was carefully composed in the space rather than being a functional dress). The model could be seen either as owning the space as her territory or as an object, simply another part of the architecture.”
-J.P.
“I was reminded of my experiences (or lack thereof) with women that wore the burka when I lived in Bedford Stuyvesant – Brooklyn, NY. The thing was, that I always wanted to look – to know more, but made conscious choices not to engage with these women…not to say hello, or even just to stare and smile. There’s something about NYC- so many people are crammed up together and yet so withdrawn and in their own personal zones, physically colliding and zipping in all directions without even engaging one another mentally. I think the place in combination with the black garbs (I have only seen the black burkas) which are so mysterious and sometimes intimidating in their ghostly quality kept me in a closed zone when I encountered these women. When I moved to another neighborhood in Brooklyn that was inhabited by a large number of Hasidic Jews, I felt the same mystery and gloom – as the men’s winter garbs are also all black. It’s funny b/c I had always felt like the “other ” in these environments – I felt withdrawn, like I shouldn’t stare…perhaps I just didn’t want to be stared at either out of my own self consciousness. So, the performance was both a challenge and a playful engagement for me. I enjoyed being stared down by her and being able to stare back. Her sharp, darting eyes caused a slight nervousness in me and this was also enhanced by the pedestal and her divine presence in the room. I’m not so sure that I have looked at these women as the “other” in the situations I have encountered, being that I was the minority in my own life experiences, but I am aware that many people do have the latter experience and it seemed they all benefited from this way of seeing.”
-S.B.