River to Infinity Response
I would like to say before anything that I really enjoyed and admired the work that went into Andrea Stanislav's instillation. My first impression of the exhibit was something along the lines of "OMG, this is exactly what my theatre history professor was talking about." Lately in this class we have been studying Symbolist dramas such as "Salome" by Oscar Wilde, and "The Crystal Spider" by Madam Rachilde. "The Crystal Spider" in particular goes into the anxiety that one of the young male characters feels toward mirrors. The playwright calls him "Terror-Stricken," and he relays to his mother a lengthy tale of a horrible experience he had with a mirror as a child that has plagued him now into his adult years. His anxiety comes from the way in which a mirror suddenly multiplies whatever flaw you may have and it forces you to confront yourself as the Other.
So of course, walking into Stanislav's exhibit immediately made me think of "The Crystal Spider" and the anxiety that goes with exploring images of ourselves as well as seeing the world double, tripled, and then infinitely replicated. It was very odd to peer into the mirror river and see the reflections of Stanislav's chosen film clips seem to go on and on forever in a web of entrapment. As the spectator, once I began to try and see only in the realm of reflection, I found myself easily getting trapped in the multiplicity of images, as well as my gazing upon myself.
I found the horses to be both beautiful and tragic. There was beauty in that the figures were covered in reflective crystal beads that sparkled as the light hit them. What can I say, I love anything that glitters. But then I had to come to terms with the fact that not only were these horses decapitated with crystals were exploding out of their side, but that prior to seeing their bodies I had found their heads in the next room. Take that PETA.
I don't think I could convey appropriately in words a description of this to someone. I did tell my roommate that she had to see this "really cool glittery exhibit with mirrors" before it left MIA. I don't want to tell them too much about the components of the exhibit because I feel it would cheat them from the process of discovery that we are invited to do a spectators. Art like this should take people by surprise.