Widowsweave

Widowsweave is an awareness raising series of performances highlighting the conditions of Iraqi Widows who often struggle to acquire even basic necessities such as clean water or adequate shelter. Through artistic durational activities the artist and public participants mark 3,000,000 lines representing the number of Iraqi widows from 30 years of war, tyranny and sanctions.

News

Kevin Valentine will have three new pieces in the Faculty Show at North Central College, Naperville. The reception is April 8th, from 6-8



Saturday, February 27, 2010

Day 42 Montrose Beach meets North-East Wind

 
Today was much colder than I expected, and proportionally more difficult to draw lines in the snow/sand.  My implement this day was a wonderful tool for interesting marks - sometimes check-marks, sometimes x's, sometimes double lines, sometimes single tapered lines.  I explained to Bryan how counting double lines, or not counting them is an existential dilemma.  Bryan got a cell call that was longer than he'd expected which is how it goes sometimes -art and life imitating each other.  Whether it's counting double lines, taking a call, losing count, counting by nines or elevens instead of tens by accident or writing the numbers in the sand/snow to keep track - all have parallels in the economy of war and oppression.  Leaving out the count, exaggerating the count, being distracted, approximating using extrapolation, caring about every detail or being satisfied with a close representation - all have been carried out over and over again when accounting for dead, wounded, care for wounded and family, widows, orphans, dispalced, refugees...
  
 


Eden concentrated on tilling motions, and also on the resulting lines which he thought resembled train tracks.  He created tracks that meandered around acres of beach ending at a tall steel light post, like the hub or station.

Jaber brought his nephew, a recent refugee who has been in Chicago for only 2 days.  He wisely took stock of the wind and returned to the car with apologies.  No sense in being out there without proper clothes for this weather.



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