The Hermes Installation at the Library: A Lesson in Language and Connection
Published
“Hermes,” named after the Greek god of communication, was constructed as a representation of the impact hermeneutical resources have on our ability to not only articulate our own life experiences to others, but to also understand them on an introspective level. Although the central focus of the art piece is one person, this sculpture represents each of us in our perpetual endeavor to understand the world around us and have our experiences validated by the understanding of others. Hermeneutical resources are a vital part of this process because without these pivotal resources, we would be less equipped to communicate our experiences, emotions, and thoughts.
You can interact with this piece in one of three ways:
- Share a word that describes yourself to others. Think of a word in any language that helps describe yourself to others- it can be about yourself, your feelings, your research, etc. Write the word and its definition on a tag and attach it to the mannequin.
- Invent a word without a meaning. Invent a new word, write it on a tag, and leave it in "Bowl B" on the table next to the statue for someone else to define! Alternatively, you can take a tag from Bowl B and create a meaning for someone else's invented word. Once a tag has both a word and a definition, attach it to the mannequin.
- Describe a meaning that lacks a word. Describe a feeling, experience, etc. that lacks a word, write it on a tag and leave it in "Bowl C" for someone else to create a word for. You may also take a tag from Bowl C and create a word based on someone else's definition. Once a tag has both a word and a definition, attach it to the mannequin.
The sculpture, currently on view in the lobby of HTML, is a larger version of a previous student project that is part of Professor Georgi Gardiner's class GESS-4930-01 Queer Creativity. You can view other projects and installations by the professor HERE. It will be available in the lobby for the remainder of the Spring semester.
If you do interact with "Hermes" in any way, be sure to sign the guest book!
