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Art or Bad Idea Jeans?
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 16, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 16, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Brooklyn artist Kerry Skarbakka staged repeated falls at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art for photographs meant to be an "artistic response" to September 11. Skarbakka wore a harness under a suit as he fell from the four story building, and told the Chicago Sun-Times, "Falling is such a metaphor for life in general. Mentally, physically and emotionally, from day to day, we fall. Even walking is falling: You take a step, fall and catch yourself." Of course, New Yorkers have some reason to take issue with this. The Daily News tells Skarbakka to "jump in a lake" and speaks to some victims' relatives, who say things like, "My friends jumped out of buildings and it wasn't an art form. It was a last resort" and "Just because as an artist you're free to do something doesn't mean it's any good." And the Mayor, a patron of the arts, called it "nauseating offensive." Gothamist isn't totally sure how we feel; it's Skarbakka's right to be an artist in any way he wants - it's not like we have to like it - but we're also sensitive to that strange, strange day. It's definitely an interesting approach to a terrible topic, but is it still too soon? There are so many things we could say, like, Skarbakka could have taken these photos in a studio, or maybe we shouldn't be so touchy. Gothamist thinks it interesting that New Yorkers, some of the toughest people in the world, are still so raw.
A Daily News columnist calls Skarbakka a phony. And director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's entry in the film, 11'09"01, an international collaboration on the events of September 11, used footage of the falling bodies from the World Trade Center to creepy but provocative effect.
Image from Chicago's ABC 7
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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