TIE – Homage to Life
TIE - HOMAGE TO LIFE
Performance on May 14, 2015, at the Interfaith Chapel of the University of Rochester
This 6-hour performance aims to commemorate the victims of recent terrorist attacks and natural catastrophes, notably the Kenya killing and Nepal earthquake. The artist hangs 147 red strings in honor of the 147 innocent students killed in Kenya on April 2, 2015. She cuts each string multiple times until the total number of cuts exceeds 4000, the first official estimate of casualty in the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
The floor is covered by numerous small sections of red threads, and almost none would be left on the ceiling.
During the second part of the performance, the artist ties all the small bits of red threads together back into one ball of yarn. Tying the threads back together will never smooth out the knots and erase the cutting. Reconstruction will never erase the damage done during the tragedies.
The artist is grateful to the Interfaith Chapel of the University of Rochester for its pioneering role in facilitating conversations. The Chapel’s sacred serenity is an integral part of this performance.
