Today, I would like to write about some recent impressions about the timeless childhood game. I have just become informed about a piece of art that uses aspects of the game, which relies on a group sitting in a circle. This circle is then gone 'round on the outside by someone who is "it". In practice the game is meant to single out one person, who becomes the chaser. One person, in the childhood game walks slowly around the circle, pausing slightly and touching each person in turn, as they pass, they say either "Duck," at which point they continue around the circle to the next person, or "Goose" in which case the person they have touched has to jump up and give chase. If the person who is "it" can circle the group and sit where the person that chased them, had been, the chaser becomes "it". If the person catches them, they remain "it" for the next round.
In our own way, we live this as part of our daily ritual. We often let someone from outside our circle determine when and if we get to play. Our part in the game could be going to work, purchasing commodities, goods or services, or even to play the game in other ways. "The game", as we often speak of life itself is about chasing a dream or trying to get X or Y or Z. Sometimes when we do get ahead or catch our dreams, we can rest on our laurels or take some time off from the game, but inevitably we will be touched and hear the call, "Goose!" and we will be off and running again.
In the art piece, a series of chairs is arranged in a circle, informing the viewer about the group mind that can be called up by this sort of activity. Everyone feels the energy, the electricity in the room and when they hear the word "Goose" they all get a bit of the adrenaline rush that the chaser feels. Much like our society, we often get jazzed by what someone else is doing. All sport is more fun to play than to watch, but by watching, we get aroused in ways that are similar enough to the players that it can feel pleasurable. Just as this game is capable of creating a group experience, it is always at the cost/or expense of pointing out who the slowest and least nimble members are. That alone is a little disturbing, but as people take turns getting up and running about the circle, the group can lean in or out, or perhaps sit straight, changing the distance between the chaser and whoever had been "it" for the round. This aspect is not a part of the art.
Please forgive me because I have only heard about this art, I have not seen it in person. Even so, it has had the power to move me. The exhibit that it comes from will be on view through September, 8 2013 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. It is an installation so you have to picture yourself in a room, it has the circle of chairs and the only other things associated with the piece are the title card and a noose hanging from the ceiling in the center of the circle. The title of the piece is Lynching Room. We have all been hung out to dry in one way or another, but the associations between power and control, group think and the sociology of psychopathy are rich topics that we must all wrestle with in our own ways. I hope that hearing about this piece of art will move you in many of the same ways it moved me.
This show is part of Thirty Americans and it will be touring the country, so if you miss it in Milwaukee, look for it on tour.
Milwaukee Art Museum
In our own way, we live this as part of our daily ritual. We often let someone from outside our circle determine when and if we get to play. Our part in the game could be going to work, purchasing commodities, goods or services, or even to play the game in other ways. "The game", as we often speak of life itself is about chasing a dream or trying to get X or Y or Z. Sometimes when we do get ahead or catch our dreams, we can rest on our laurels or take some time off from the game, but inevitably we will be touched and hear the call, "Goose!" and we will be off and running again.
In the art piece, a series of chairs is arranged in a circle, informing the viewer about the group mind that can be called up by this sort of activity. Everyone feels the energy, the electricity in the room and when they hear the word "Goose" they all get a bit of the adrenaline rush that the chaser feels. Much like our society, we often get jazzed by what someone else is doing. All sport is more fun to play than to watch, but by watching, we get aroused in ways that are similar enough to the players that it can feel pleasurable. Just as this game is capable of creating a group experience, it is always at the cost/or expense of pointing out who the slowest and least nimble members are. That alone is a little disturbing, but as people take turns getting up and running about the circle, the group can lean in or out, or perhaps sit straight, changing the distance between the chaser and whoever had been "it" for the round. This aspect is not a part of the art.
Please forgive me because I have only heard about this art, I have not seen it in person. Even so, it has had the power to move me. The exhibit that it comes from will be on view through September, 8 2013 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. It is an installation so you have to picture yourself in a room, it has the circle of chairs and the only other things associated with the piece are the title card and a noose hanging from the ceiling in the center of the circle. The title of the piece is Lynching Room. We have all been hung out to dry in one way or another, but the associations between power and control, group think and the sociology of psychopathy are rich topics that we must all wrestle with in our own ways. I hope that hearing about this piece of art will move you in many of the same ways it moved me.
This show is part of Thirty Americans and it will be touring the country, so if you miss it in Milwaukee, look for it on tour.
Milwaukee Art Museum
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