When I was little, I used to get so annoyed when my mom answered my questions with questions. She was so eloquent about subtly getting me to ask myself the question I asked her to presumably to get me to learn more about whatever the subject was and maybe even answer the question myself.
No matter if it helped in my development process, the whole thing still annoys the heck out of me. But, this week I realized that I am required to do the same exact thing for my job—make people answer their own questions.
Thanks, Mom. Before you read on, read this article, watch this video, and read my earlier blog post to learn more about the artwork and my work with Creative Time. I began with simple questions: why a sugar factory? Why domino? A sphinx? A woman? So much Styrofoam? That much sugar? Once I got to working on the project and started literally throwing myself along with sugar onto the project, I became more attached to its message and started asking different and deeper messier questions: Does using this much sugar for something other than consumption perpetuate the historic privilege that sugar is associated with?
What will other people think about the project? How does being part of the fabrication process affect my outlook on the work? Without a background of research in sugar-refining will people see similar messages? Has working on the project and dealing with 35 tons of sugar made me hate sugar FYI: now, later in the day, as I proofread this post, I am sitting in the actual Domino sugar refinery amidst the marvelous sugar baby.
The smell here today is overwhelming and disgusting. It smells like diabetes and barf and a cupcake that has been sitting near the window of a car for too long and has melted all over the place. I still love sugar, but I also realize its disgusting characteristics. Now that the project fabrication is finished though since Kara wants the work to be altered naturally by the factory, technically the piece will never be finished—think dripping molasses and the public is welcomed in to see the artwork, I have an entirely different job than when I was actively in the process of making the work.
