Public Involvement

In class we learned about the public's involvement in art. Artists sometimes call upon the public to do strange things and make art out of it. Damien Hirst called on twins to be part of one of his exhibits. They were to sit under different patterns of dots, wear the same clothes, have the same hair, and must do the same thing (read a book, listen to music, etc.) In some perspective this is a unique twist on an age old concept. Twins are alike obviously, but not many put them on display for others to see. That being said, it could be taken in that wrong context as well or be offensive to some twins. The twin pairs may think that Hirst is trying to convey them as freaks or weird by putting them on display, something that he is not trying to do, or they can feel annoyed. They might feel annoyed because they may have been made to wear the same clothes when they were children and may feel that by making them wear the same cloths again is degrading or rude, again not what Hirst is intending. Those same things that could be annoying or misperceived are things that make Hirst's work interesting. As twins get older many do not think of them as a pair anymore and rightfully so each has grown their own way but Hirst brings that mentally to light. Twins are not only twins when they are younger but obviously when they grow up as well. The wearing of the same clothes brings back an almost innocence to the work. A quote that stuck out to me was "Art is like holding up a mirror to life." which I believe, Damien Hirst is conveying perfectly.
(Posted by Sarah)