The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is currently displaying Witness, an exhibition that places the photographer in the role as a witness as he or she goes about experiencing life for others. The exhibit, in itself, is eye opening, but it’s the culmination that stays with you.
The exhibit leads you to a backroom where the viewer is faced with three stark white panels of light. You stop and observe the panels, looking back at your shadow and those of others.
You continue to the back of the box, wait on a bench, for the light to turn green because that is what the directions say. The anticipation builds and you think, nothing can be worth this eight-minute wait. You consider getting up and leaving, catching the bus that leaves in 5 minutes, but you wait. Good idea.
The light turns green and you walk in and take a seat on a bench. It’s a small room that can fit about 15 people. The benches face towards a screen. The screen is surrounded by lights, but the lights face you.
The countdown ends and words appear on the screen. Kevin Carter. You are told the story of the apartheid in South Africa, the story of Carter, who experienced it for himself and how that experience forced a shadow upon his life. His experience in the South African Defense Force. About his ability to live through a suicide attempt and bombing, despite his desire to die. About the saving grace he found in photography. And the photo that made him famous and then, seemingly just as quickly, led to his demise. And with that, a flash of the lights and the photo appears on the screen. You feel your stomach drop like you’re on a rollercoaster ride, but you are just sitting on a bench in a black box, looking at a girl and a vulture.
This is where experiences differ. Because while Alfredo Jaar, the artist behind The Sound of Silence, can control a lot of the viewers’ experience, there are some things that are out of his hands.
There are 15 or so other people in the room. Jaar can’t control who the other 14 people are, if they’re respectful of the silence, if they speak during the silent narrative, if they gasp when the light bulbs flash, or jump back or grab their friend.
Jaar can’t control if you recognize the picture or you go with friends who recognize the picture or grab you when the light bulbs flash or gasp in your ear. Because the reactions of those around you an affect your experience.
Jaar attempts to tell the story of Kevin Carter in a vacuum, but unfortunately no matter how dark the room is, or how simple the storytelling method, there are some things he cannot control. And while the whispers and gasping may hinder the beginning of the experience, when those lights flash, no matter the reaction of the people around you, as Carter’s picture fades onto the screen, Jaar accomplishes his goal. The work encapsulates you, fills every corner of your mind and vision.
I went alone, which I would recommend. And while people checked their phone during the eight minutes and the couple next to me gasped as the lights flashed, I still was able to appreciate the experience. I walked out of The Sound of Silence with the pit still in my stomach. I knew of Carter’s picture, I knew it was controversial, but never had I thought of what that meant for the photographer. Jaar takes a whole new perspective in his work. Yes, the photo is important, but it’s the story that needs to be told. Not just of the 10 minutes or 10 hours surrounding the taking of the picture, but the journey the photographer took to get to Sudan on that day and why the criticism that fell upon his was too much to handle.
I experienced The Sound of Silence three weeks ago, and I still find myself thinking about it. I say experienced because I didn’t just see it, I felt it, I heard it, I was captured by it. The concept of Witness is an interesting one, and the MCA does a great job at portraying the concept throughout the exhibit, but if it wasn’t for Jaar I would have forgotten about Witness a month later. Now, I will never forget.
356 Comments
Carolyn,
Through your writing and analysis it is clear this piece has a haunting ability to stay with a viewer far beyond the MCA. But after thinking about the installation as an attempted vacuum I can’t help but think how different one’s experience would be if one recognized the name Kevin Carter at the sight of the first slide.
Personally, I had seen the photograph before. Since the photo was certainly not presented with the same build up or context when I first saw it, I definitely did not remember the photographer- I probably didn’t even bother to read his name. But what if I had? What if I knew what was coming narratively, what if this whole immersive experience was just a re-telling of a familiar story?
As you delve into the function of silence (or breaking silence) I’m sure many viewers find themselves leaning to a friend to prove they know the story or want to spark a recognition. I’m also sure many of those viewers who recognize Kevin Carter’s name hold the secret close, protecting their fellow audience members from the spoil of a surprise with a heavy burden of silence.
Overall this piece continues to push me, to think harder about it both in the vacuum and the larger world and your piece articulates those lingering feelings
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Highlighting the lasting impact: You effectively acknowledge the piece’s “haunting ability to stay with a viewer far beyond the MCA,” emphasizing its emotional resonance.
Considering the role of prior knowledge: You raise an interesting point about how prior knowledge of the photographer, Kevin Carter, and the photograph could potentially alter the viewer’s experience. It fosters critical thinking about the influence of context and individual perception on artistic interpretation.
Analyzing the function of silence: Your exploration of the “function of silence (or breaking silence)” is insightful. The idea of viewers seeking recognition or protecting each other from the “spoil” introduces another layer of complexity to the installation’s impact.
Appreciating the continuing engagement: You commend the piece for **”pushing” you to think “harder about it both in the vacuum and the larger world.” This acknowledges the installation’s ability to spark continuous reflection and analysis.
Appreciating the writing style: You conclude by acknowledging how the written analysis effectively articulates the lingering feelings prompted by the art installation.
Overall, your comment demonstrates a thoughtful and engaged response to the art installation. It offers insightful observations, encourages further exploration, and appreciates the writer’s analysis.
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I really appreciated how you wrote your critique. I think the way you described the sensual experience in such vivid details was very enlightening. I especially liked the vivid detail at the beginning. It made your writing extremely personal and engaging. It is more than just a report on a gallery, but also an informative piece on how you suggest to experience such a moving exhibit.
Carolyn,
Nice exploration of Jaar’s work as experienced in the moment. One thing your essay made me think about is the relationship between visual presentation and stories, which is to say, in a sense, between objects and narrative. How Jaar chooses to “stage” his installation almost turns it into a theatrical performance, and in that sense it’s an interesting way in which sculpture might be able to “speak,” which then also makes us have to think about what sculpture is, exactly. Often sculpture is linked to portrayals of the body, but here, it seems to me, you begin to help us consider sculpture as it portrays memory, particularly around the fraught ethics of war photography, in which, at the center of the photo, is, of course, a body we are forced to confront morally as well as aesthetically.
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