Art is often “left open to interpretation”, especially in our day and age. Apothecary, the UTC student-led gallery in downtown Chattanooga, took the act of interpretation a step farther at the Gallery Hop sponsored by AVA on Saturday, September 6. The intention of their installation-style exhibit “In Progress” was to “blur the lines between artist and viewer.” Upon entering the room, my friend and I were greeted by a student who was casually leaning in the corner, playing on his Gameboy. He introduced us to the gallery and invited us to take a slip of paper, presenting us with a task. My task told me to “activate something.”
This is where the interpretation came into play. The objects in the gallery space probably came from a Thrift Store or Dollar General. There were slinkies hanging from the ceiling, old romance novels thrown on the floor, an old coffee machine on a table, a traffic cone in the corner, and glitter everywhere. In a way, it was a chaotic depiction of the life of a college student– as if a dorm room had exploded.
The lines were successfully blurred, because I had no idea who was a part of the gallery and who was also working on a task. Everyone in the room was participating, but everyone was also observing. Even if there were no typically beautiful artworks in the gallery, the communal participation and boundless creativity was a beautiful insight into Contemporary art and the young adult life. The progression of “In Progress”, as well as past exhibits and information about the gallery can be viewed on www.apothecarygallery.com.