School of Art goes screw loose, avant-garde

Sarah Kliff
COURTESY PHOTO

An interactive bunny suit and 12 tubs of margarine may have more in common than one thinks. Both appeared in the “Righty Tighty Lefty Loosey” art show Dec. 5-6, sponsored by the Washington University School of Art.

The show displayed the work of 26 sculpture and 4 ceramics majors. The exhibited projects used everything from clothing to video to food as mediums.

Senior Amanda Thatch, one of the event’s organizers, saw the show as a chance for students to see what the School of Art has been up to for the past semester.

“It’s a way to get involved with the art school, which can be somewhat inclusive,” said Thatch.

Thatch believes that one of the strongest points of the show is the variety among the displayed pieces.

“All of the pieces represent different ways of making and thinking,” said Thatch.

The title “Righty Tighty Lefty Loosey,” was an invention of senior Katy Scoggin, referring to the commonly used rule for screws.

“I was sitting around with some other sculpture majors and spouting out potential names for the show,” said Scoggin. “I came up with ‘Righty Tighty Lefty Loosey,’ but I meant it more as a joke than as a viable show title. Other people seemed to really like it, though, and the group voted on it as a final title. Despite its frivolity, [screws are] perhaps one of the most useful things for a three-dimensional artist to know.”

Scoggin displayed her piece, “Montage with Margarine,” at the show. The video, divided into two segments, shows the artist’s various interactions with margarine. The second half of the video shows the artist buried in margarine-a feat that took 12 tubs of Country Crock Margarine to accomplish.

Scoggin’s intention with this piece was to look at the larger implications of fat in our society.

“I’m interested in fat not only in its literal sense, but as an entire social paradigm,” said Scoggin. “I feel we are currently experiencing the Age of Fat-this has to do not only with our bodies, many of which are expanding into obesity, but also our lifestyles. Thus when I talk about ‘fat’ in my work, I’m also talking about our excessive obsessions with our bodies, and lifestyles.”

Senior Morgan Matens displayed her interactive piece “Bunny Family Portrait,” which allowed patrons to put on a bunny suit and get their photograph taken with a bunny family of four.

Matens credits her grandmother with the inspiration for her piece.

“My grandmother really wanted me to get a boyfriend during my senior year and I didn’t,” said Matens. “It got me interested in what it’s like to be expected to join a breeding population, and since bunnies are so efficient, I thought they would be a good medium.”

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