But is it Art?

In the wake of Sept. 11, Americans have struggled to express their national pride in a multitude of ways. The prize for Harvard’s most weird and wonderful tribute comes in the form of an anonymous balloon sculpture of the Statue of Liberty which graces the halls of the Science Center, tucked next to Chemistry Lab 10. Despite the obvious love which has been poured into the artwork, however, one question lingers in the minds of the befuddled chemists who pass by every day—a question which normally resides outside the realm of scientific contemplation: But Is It Art?

The ancient art of balloon sculpture has long bewitched art historians everywhere. Indeed, balloon sculpture can be seen as a defiant assertion that an object made purely for the pleasure of the populace can be re-defined as an aesthetic object with multi-dimensional resonance beyond its superficial meaning as the most mundane of all party decorations. We can see this glorious likeness of the Statue of Liberty thus as a kind of post-modern icon: a transformation—nay, subversion—of traditional elite definitions of “high art” through the medium of the balloon. Because this form of art rejects the notion of “absolute truth” by implication, passers-by are thus free to imagine and enforce their own particular meaning of the sculpture. Tamiko A. Tsurudome ‘04, for example, speculates that “It kind of looks like the Chiquita Banana Woman”, whilst Jeremy D. Olson ‘03 queries whether “it has to do with inflated grades at Harvard?”.

Of course, some students have a less cerebral attitude to the sculpture. Jennie C. Wei ‘03 finds herself inexplicably drawn to the mysterious grey figure, confessing that “I’m partially attracted to it”. Many laugh as they walk by, exclaiming like Garwin Y. Chen ‘03, “how weird!”. A few, like Emily Ludmir ‘03, question the overall effect of a Statue of Liberty likeness now sadly contorted and misshapen by shrunken balloons. Ludmir worries that “it almost seems like a mockery of patriotic sentiment” and Cami K. Lau ‘04 notes that “my friends and I were worried about what it represents now that it is all shriveled up”.

The great majority of those interviewed, however, approve wholeheartedly of the installation, seeing the creation of the sculpture as a strangely and unexpectedly touching act. Katherine A. Santos ‘03 sums up the mood of the most observers when she explains that “Someone has a lot of time on their hands, but it’s a nice gesture, and I appreciate it”. The question of whether it constitutes art ultimately seems less important in times like these, when such small actions—however bizarre or quirky—should be deemed worthwhile simply for lifting the spirits of so many passers-by.