Press release of the day: Listening to dirt

November 02, 2008
by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet • 11/1/08 • "Santa Fe installation artist re-envisions wholeness through innovative use of earth as medium." Earlier this week, Ballantines Public Relations went kindly out of its way to inform the Twin Cities Daily Planet of the "innovative" work of a New Mexico artist named Cathy Aten whom, it seems, turned from painting to sculpting after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. "The artist suspected that toxic compounds in her materials may have contributed to her illness, so she decided to use what was, as she saw it, the purest medium available to her: raw earth."
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Images included with the press release depict tasteful wall-mounted arrangements of geometric shapes made from dirt of various hues. Nice. But not just nice! The press release goes on to explain that it's not just about seeing the dirt—it's about being the dirt. Understanding the dirt. Embracing the dirt. In what the press release calls a "radical sentiment," Aten explains that "it is about bringing dirt inside so that we can let it inform our lives more directly—instead of sweeping it out the door." Though dirt may not be particularly articulate, Aten believes that it has something vague but essential to communicate to us. "I don't believe we can 'figure out' the problems we have visited on ourselves by using our brain intelligence alone. I think we need to look to the land for what intelligence it has to offer and learn to listen. Quickly." Unfortunately there is not room in our arts budget for plane fare to Santa Fe, but if someone knows of a mudpie that's available for interviews, by all means bring it to our attention.
Previous Press Releases of the Day: • The edge of Tomato • Nothing scandalous, just some booze and Jenga • Robots fish for prostates • The Rake Angel
Photos courtesy Eileen Braziel Fine Arts.

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