"An arm and a -" . . . wait no. Just legs

It isn't often that I head into downtown Chicago on a weeknight, but tonight was an exception.  During my endeavor, I stumbled across human statues missing an entire chunk of their bodies.  I didn't I would ever see half-human statues, yet tonight, I stand corrected.  Welcome to Grant Park, at the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue.

This is an installation created by Magdalena Abakanowicz.  Agora is only one of this artist's many famous installations.  Completed in 2006, it has a total of 106 pairs of walking legs spread throughout this southwest corner of Grant Park.  Inspired by the notion of "the Countless", as she calls it, this particular installation attempts to spark recognition amongst viewers in the reality of those exact people - the "countless".  

Quite honestly, initially, I was shocked and disturbed.  I passed the installation in my car and seeing it from inside my car, only in passing, during the cold, snow-covered night, truly sent eerie chills through my spine.  It probably doesn't help, granted, that there is a huge World War II / Holocaust unit encompassing everything "8th grade" where I teach, because I couldn't digest the images for quite some time.  However, I must note, that true artists require and are excited by these responses.  To observe a piece of art with indifference and not being somehow emotionally moved by it or even confused by it, is actually a bit of a slap-in-the-face to the artist, if you will.  Ideally, artists wish to create some form of impact in the viewers - good or bad, pleasant or unsettling.  A reaction means an emotional or intellectual response.  It means a connection to the artwork and therefore an internalization of the artwork and possibly a conversation sometime thereafter about said artwork.  Thus, this explains why I have been mulling over this installation for the past few hours.


Again, as mentioned, initially this disturbed me.  However, the more I think about it, and learn about the artist and her intentions, the chosen site and the "why" for the artwork, the more ingenious the installation truly is.  Think about it.  How many times a day do you pass even just one person without acknowledging him or inquiring about his day, even if you do or do not know him?  Now think about how many people you pass DAILY - whether it be on foot, on public transportation, during errand shopping, or even those people in the cars next to you.  All these people that you encounter daily - DAILY - that you have no interactions with, that you cannot distinguish from the next, are the people represented by these statues.  In fact, these people are nothing more than what her installation suggests - legs.  They have no heart or identity, no mind or soul.  They are two more countless feet that you pass on your way to where ever it is you are going.  


This artwork forces you to interact with your "countless" encounters.  It forces you to recognize the complexity of your day and yet the sheer, simple, undeniable fact that you not only create the "countless" around you because you fail to acknowledge them, but that you yourself fall into this category as a result because you are that same "countless" person in someone else's life.  


Scary.  But true.  Much like the reflection of my responses to the art:  Fear and confusion to understanding and agreement.  And ultimately, appreciation.


So, next time you find yourself on an errand, or out living the next moment of your daily life, take a moment to notice the number of nameless feet that you pass.  Think about the fact that you are and extremely important individual and yet utterly anonymous all at the same time.  How much does the truth in Agora infiltrate your life, and is there anything that you can do to change the reality of its presence?