Visual
Bucket lists aren’t for everyone, but the fellas responsible for The Buried Life, a reality documentary series, are up to the challenge. For the past few years, the quartet of friends has traveled the United States completing a list of “100 things to do before you die.” When they drop by Western Washington University this week, they’ll be doing so in conjunction with a Viking Union Gallery exhibit dubbed “Fears Vs. Dreams,” which sees students and community members sharing the aforementioned emotions on cards and posting them for all to see. We queried gallery director Ashley Hollender to get the scoop.
Cascadia Weekly: What’s the goal with this exhibit?
Ashley Hollender: Our fears and dreams seem to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum of our identity. By filling the gallery with the fears and dreams of this community, we hope to bridge the gap between the two and show how they are actually closest to the center of who we are. We want to create a space where people can come together and share their stories. By understanding who we are as individuals, we can begin to see that we are not alone—we are a part of a larger community.
CW: Are you getting more responses for “fear” or for “dreams?”
AH: As of now, the responses seem to be fairly equal.
CW: Do the participants remain anonymous?
AH: We do not explicitly ask people to remain anonymous, however no one has signed their name.
CW: Can you give me some examples of what people have been writing?
AH: Fears: “Being alone,” “my body,” “not accomplishing my dreams,” “death” and “failure.” Dreams: “Living with no fear,” “to restore the environment to its natural state,” “to catch a cloud in a bottle” and “fighting a bear, and winning.”
CW: What do you find to be interesting about the submissions you’ve received thus far?
AH: I am overwhelmingly pleased with the amount of responses we have received. I am also surprised by the high amount of reoccurring themes among the dreams and fears.
CW: What are some of the overarching themes?
AH: There are many recurring fears that have to do with death, whether it is their own, or a loved one’s death. Other recurring fears are being alone and fear of failure. There are also themes among the dreams, such as finding “the one” and being happy.
CW: Can folks still add to the exhibit?
AH: People are welcome to add to the exhibit throughout its duration.
CW: The Buried Life cast is coming to town for the tail end of the exhibit. Will they be using any of the material from the display?
AH: They will not be using any material from the exhibit for their talk, however there will be a meet and greet with The Buried Life cast at the “Fears vs. Dreams” gallery reception following their event.
CW: What are organizers hoping comes out of the exhibit and the visit by the reality TV folks?
AH: The hope is that people will get involved in their own community, and that these events will promote compassion, awareness and kindness toward others.
CW: Why is this art?
AH: Much of art is an emotional experience. In this exhibit, we invite people to contribute their personal thoughts to an ongoing community project, as well as experience the thoughts of others. This sharing of ourselves is a form of artistic expression.
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