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entitled “Hovering Love,” which will be on
exhibition until February 25. A special reception
will be held on Valentine’s Day in
the College Gallery (1000 Building) from
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Bastai recently invited Shoreline faculty,
students and visitors to create their own
personal love letters, in the language of their
choice and to fold them into origami doves.
The doves will be and are currently being
suspended from the ceiling of the Arts
Center in the Library.
In the days leading up to the full display, a
preview of what Bastai described as “an interactive
mixed media installation,” can be
viewed in the Library, streaming from a temporary
cord and waiting to be joined by the
birds crafted by other participants.
Rather than using the more conventional
paper cranes, Bastai chose to use doves
because they are similar to pigeons, which
people used for many years to send messages,
especially in times of war.
“We live in a society dominated by technologies
that are profoundly changing the
way we interact with each other,” said Bastai
in her artist’s statement. “Our constant consumption
of the media’s alternate reality
gives us a false sense of connection with our
neighbors when in fact we are becoming
more detached from our community.”
By removing such technology from this
piece, Bastai challenges those involved—
both the writers as well as the viewers—to
challenge their conventions about communicating
with one another and to think about
the simpler tools of communication used: A
loving reminder that we are all connected.
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