Sunday, June 7, 2015

Event #1: Kathy High Exhibit



As I entered the exhibit, the first thing that caught my eye was a jar filled with an unknown specimen. I didn’t really pay attention to it until I read the letter that was written by the author. “Dear David Bowe, I have a bargain for you…I am a life-long fan…I was hoping these photos might grab your attention for a moment. I want to exchange these for a throw-away item, your poo.” 

From there I didn’t really understand what to expect but that the artist, Kathy High, was a long admirer of David Bowe and reenacted some of his most iconic scenes through photography. After reading the letter and various plaques in the exhibit, I soon was informed that Kathy had Crohn Disease, an inflammatory bowl disease that affects the lining of the digestive system. The artist wanted to conduct a fecal transplantation, by implanting David Bowe’s poop/gut biome into her colon. 

This exhibit is a perfect of example of the connection of art and science. Through Kathy’s artistic capability, she was able to grab the attention of one of her most admired performers to help fight for an important cause. Although she knew this may have been a long shot, asking for someone’s fecal matter, the strong connection of the development of this project helped move forward not only science and art, but Kathy’s life. I really was intrigued by the messages carried out throughout the whole exhibit. How every moment and everything in life is precious. This exhibit really benefited both from art and science by living up the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. The development of art and science, as we learned in this class, symbiotically assist one another to the greatest potential. In this case, Kathy respected and understood the importance of both worlds and how connecting them would further progress everything for the better.


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