Think 9/11 and you're instantly reminded of the ominous terror attacks.
Think 9/11 and you're instantly reminded of the ominous terror attacks. But artist Jitish Kallat chooses to bring to mind happier memories, like Swami Vivekanand's revolutionary speech of September 11, 1893 that stood for universality and religious tolerance.
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Kallat's exhibition, Public Notice 3, that opens on September 11 at the Art Institute of Chicago brings to the fore the two occurrences that shaped history:
Going publicThe text is illuminated in five colours which are designated by the American Homeland Security Advisory to signify a threat condition. Green denotes 'low' risk of terror attacks, and red signifies a 'severe' risk.
Positioned on the 118 risers of the Grand Staircase, the text is readable as one ascends, and appears as a mere glow of the threat codes as one descends.
Interestingly, the site where Swami Vivekanand delivered this speech is where the museum stands today.
Though my work carries a message, I don't thinku00a0 artworks are really instruments to 'broadcast' messages. With art it is often the viewers who bring interpretations and co-create meaning.
