Ambiguous Gesture is Un-American: Lunch Hour Post

In Hamburg in 2004, Zoll-Douane art in public places exhibition asked 30 artists to create works about boundaries - mainly national ones after the unification of the European currencies. Artists Anja Steidinger and Raul Cordero projected the image of two people waving on the exterior wall at the entrance/exit of the exhibition. "Goodbye/Hello" presents the ambiguous gesture - waving - in which the meaning is established by the context. Waving goodbye, waving hello, waving for attention.

Goodbye/Hello projection by Anja Steidinger and Raul Cordero

Years ago in an Agnieszka Holland film (I think), a series of faces were flashed on the screen and the imaginary audience selects if the face is happy or sad. All the faces were neutral like the ones below. The scientists were testing the audience, not the meaning of facial expressions.

Happy or Sad?

Ambiguity is loved by the fine arts and generally rejected by the public arts. We Americans are trained in the good, bad and purposeful. Ambiguity requires self-awareness by the viewers to explore their own reaction. Americans match their feelings to the feelings of the artwork, not explore. We judge the feeling. Ambiguity has no place.
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