The Interruption
Outside the Puning Temple - one of many interruptions I hope to have on this trip
I have been thinking a lot about something recently. Stick with me, as it may seem to be completely unrelated to China. It has a purpose, I promise!
I had an incredible conversation the second day here with my roommate, Winston. It was when we started to discuss his art for the first time. We must have talked for an hour or two just about art and our own individual experiences with it. He showed me some pictures of his oil paintings—they are stunningly beautiful. I told him how my girlfriend back home, Taylor, is an art major (she is in Italy right now). As the talk progressed, Winston expressed discontent with artists who are too self absorbed. He meant those that make art that requires an explanation by the artist to make any sense. At this point, I brought up an installation that my girlfriend had done last semester. It was a performance installation. She created what looked like a stereotypical teenage girl’s room. She made wallpaper from Cosmo and Vogue magazine ads. She sat at the center staring at the mirror, applying copious amounts of makeup, sipping a Diet Coke, and blasting some “girl rock.” At the front end of the installation, a sign indicated that each visitor was to take a piece of paper and judge her (Taylor). So, people wrote their judgments: “You’re self-centered and don’t care about anyone else,” “You’re Britney Spears,” “All you care about is the way you look,” etc.
Once you have reached the other side, you place the judgment in the box and pick up a piece of paper. This paper reveals who Taylor really is. For instance, the paper says, “I broke my arm when I was 5,” “I had a pet turtle that ran away,” “My parents divorced when I was really young.”
While focused on who Taylor was, the installation had a key element to it. Winston used a creative writing term, “interruption.” He said it refers to the moment in a piece of writing when the reader suddenly becomes aware of him/herself. He/she is no longer reading about someone or something else, but rather he/she is reading in terms of him/herself. This is the same thing that happens in Taylor’s installation. The initial reaction is looking out at who this person in front of you may be. Then, you get the real story, at which point you become aware of who you are, your own judgments, and your own feelings.
What does this have to do with China? Well, I feel as though I am in for some serious interruptions on this trip. Not just one, but more than I can even imagine right now. My experience at the Puning Temple was one. My first experience here at Hylands Law Firm was for sure. This is just an offshoot of that quote from Gregory Peck I mentioned in a previous blog. The quote alluded to the fact that we learn the most about ourselves when we encounter difficult and uncomforatable situations. This idea is magnified when you are suddenly transplanted into a world completely unlike the one you have always known. Self-awareness takes on a new meaning on so many different levels. I’ve only scratched the surface of this.
No comments yet.