
Today’s social environment locates certain information within the sphere
of the “private”. This location has certain ideological implications,
which often reinforce systems of domination. This piece transgresses the boundaries
of private and public, in an attempt to make these discourses transparent. This
interactive installation contained instructions asking the participant to attach
a string to the salary of what they expected the faculty of the Indiana State
University art department to earn. After several days the continuous participation
of viewers allowed one to track what students expected the faculty to earn,
at the end of the installation the actual salaries where published and mailed
to all participants. Additionally, the installation contained a silhouette detailing
salary discrepancy between administrators and secretaries. Textual information
contained within the installation traced the names of several local academic
centers to former Klu Klux Klan members and slave owners. This piece was made
in conjunction with an attempt to unionize the graduate school of Indiana State
University.