The creativity that oozes out Purchase College students is complemented by the New York City art scene, which provides them with many opportunities. Students Lucas McCaslin, Calia Brisson and Rafay Rashid were given the chance to be a part of Tino Sehgal’s art event, titled “Mise-en-Scene,” at the Guggenheim Museum from Jan. 29 through Mar. 10.
Sehgal’s exhibition encompassed the entire space of the full rotunda floor of the Guggenheim, a first time occurrence in the museum’s 50-year history. With spiraling ramps claiming the expanse of the two pieces titled, “Kiss” and “This Progress,” the latter incorporated the three students. In “Kiss” and “This Progress,” Sehgal took viewers into a realm constructed upon the foundations of human voice, bodily movement and social interaction.
The role of the participating Purchase students was to instigate conversations with viewers at the museum who would climb the spiral walkway, encountering first a child who inquires, “What is progress?” A teenager continued the conversation, a middle- aged individual introduced a new topic, and an elderly person kept pushing the viewer further in deep conversation.
Playing the teenagers in the exhibit, McCaslin, Brisson and Rashid took the viewers for a ride with their challenging intellectual abilities. They introduced a multitude of independent contemplations.
Asked by her philosophy advisor, Jenny Uleman, Brisson became involved in Sehgal’s exhibit after attending a group interview. She partook in a discussion about what she thought progress was. Brisson got a callback the following week, and was then added to the roster.
McCaslin and Rashid became involved in a similar way. Rashid’s uncle was one of the producers of the exhibition, and convinced Rashid of the value and promise of the upcoming opportunity.
McCaslin said, “My father is an artist, so I grew up in the art world in Chelsea. I’ve been going to galleries and museums since I could walk. I’ve always had an interest in the visual arts even though I never pursued them myself.”
Conversing with strangers did not pose any complications to the trio. “Each day generally [ended] up following a trend that [was] related to whatever it [was] I [was] thinking about,” said Rashid. “I usually [ended] up talking about technology, morality, truth and authenticity.”
McCaslin, who has experience with political canvassing, said he would question people’s assumptions and ultimately try to establish a personal connection with the viewer on the ramp.
Brisson said participating in the exhibit helped improve her speaking skills. “It was a challenge for me to figure out how interact with these people even though they may [have made] me feel awkward or tense,” she said. “It forced me to think on my feet and improvise while also making sure my opinions and ideas [were] thoughtful, clear and understandable.”
Rashid said he learned that, “There are greater things to worry about than what benefits yourself.” McCaslin, who wants to create public art in Brooklyn, said, “This opportunity was very much up my alley.”
Sehgal’s socially constructed environment that involved the human voice, bodily movement, and social interaction provided these Purchase students with enlightenment into the developing world of modern art. The transformative properties of the exhibit channeled far deeper than the surface realities of the spiral staircase. It allowed both viewers and participants to explore intellectual presence and artistic awareness.
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