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What is art?

The question looms large over Sorted Books, a cooperative exhibition featuring the work of ; students from Literary Journalism, taught by Jennifer Brice; and Photojournalism, taught by Linn Underhill.

The pieces, on display through Feb. 26 in the , are formed by stacking books in a particular order so that the titles create simple poems with complex messages. Photos of Katchadourian’s poems stretch around the walls. They lead to tangible sortings prepared by 51�Թ��� undergraduates.

Katchadourian selected three texts as a foundation for every student’s work: The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup by Susan Orlean, Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag, and Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace. Class members added volumes from their own libraries to round out the lyrics.

The collaboration culminated in an open lecture, sponsored by the , on Feb. 4.

Artist Nina Katchadourian speaks about her projects during a lecture at Golden Auditorium. (Photo by Janna Minehart ’13)

 

Students and faculty packed Golden Auditorium to hear the artist talk through several of her favorite creations. Video, audio, installations, and photographs — the variety of Katchadourian’s work is nearly as stunning as the way in which each piece forces the viewer to encounter the common in an uncommon way.

On screen, California-born Katchadourian, her Finnish mother, and her Armenian father each try to shed their native accents. On c.d., the artist explores alarming similarities between the sounds of South American birdcalls and the cry of an urban anti-theft device.

Through photographs, the daughter retraces her mother’s childhood. On display, she demonstrates how to create a pre-modern Twitter account using a telescope and a 17th-floor office window.

“Sometimes there will be something that I end up engaging — something I’ve been noticing or thinking about for longer than I even realized,” she told the audience. “And it ends up becoming an art project.”

The original idea for Sorted Books took shape during a vacation with friends in 1993. The crew agreed to create art out of materials on-site, and Katchadourian was drawn to the library. She began to move books around and make phrases from the titles. By the end of the weekend, she had not only created a series of statements, but she had also invented a new, accessible art form.

It’s that form that 51�Թ��� students had a chance to share with Katchadourian during her time on campus — a form that tries to answer the question, “What is art?”

Close observation.