I’m like an anthropologist with the mind of an architectural historian. As a wannabe anthropologist, I unscrupulously stare at people strolling down the streets, selecting out the banal from the fresh (style wise I mean) and arriving at conclusions about their cultural backgrounds, profession and even interests simply by gazing at them. As an individual who looks at buildings as part of my work in preservation and as a student, I find myself sometimes in awe and others in disgust at the sight of a building or a landscape.
Trees, flowers, the weather, colors, music, and people have been inspiring me lately. I’ve decided that instead of writing about architecture and the arts in Boston, I will also explore other facets of Boston’s “culture,” namely its street style. I want to explore my anthropological side by highlighting every so often people I come across in my daily life who to me appear to have a story to tell through the clothes they wear. People’s style, like buildings also tell a story. So let the adventures begin!
Horn employs a vocabulary that is not only thought provoking, but also inspiring. Her work deals with the poetry of Emily Dickinson and other famous authors. The artist has long been fascinated by the 19th century poet who used language to “defy restrictions of place, society and identity.”
For some critics, the Roni Horn exhibition at the ICA has proven to be disengaging for not suggesting real risk, real audacity and real creative compassion. Horn as an artist does a tremendous job at engaging her audience in a conversation that deal with identity, age, gender, and even sexual orientation. Her sculpture more than her photography remind us that life is full of fleeting moments and in order to savor them, one must stop, take a second look before imposing our judgments upon others.
