By: Madeleine Mogul '16

What struck me the most about the panel discussion was the web of inspiration that permeates the digital space of the room as well as the artists' approach to the project. While the influence of Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles is clear, The Bedroom: Time Lapse, on view in the Alyson Shotz: Force of Nature exhibition, is really a piece about the process of influence. The three speakers artist Alyson Shotz, drummer and music educator Nasheet Waits, and animator Todd Akita, articulated this idea through their personal statements about the piece. I found it interesting that the flood on the floor, for example, refers to Shotz and Waits' personal experiences after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. We can also see the workings of influence on our own reactions to the work. One person at the discussion mentioned how they "couldn't help but" envision themselves in the room. There is also, then, the influence of our own experiences on space. At the very least, this panel discussion illustrated the point at which personal experience, artistic collaboration, and intellectual fixations meet.