Kerckhoff exhibit unites Earth Week, WorldFest goals
Showcase highlights environment, cultural diversity via
artifacts
By John Mangum
Daily Bruin Staff
Earth Week and WorldFest ’95 seem to be focused on completely
different issues.
The current exhibit in the Kerckhoff Art Gallery seems, at
first, to affirm this. Masks and environmental posters hang on the
walls, and a collection of artifacts from the north African country
Eritrea occupy one corner. Two puppets hang from ceiling to floor
along the room’s south wall, dominating the scene.
But after closer examination, the disparate collections come
together, united by their global aspects.
"One thing to think about is how a lot of the images are from
around here," says Yuki Kidokoro, the member of UCLA’s
Environmental Coalition who compiled this exhibit. "They deal with
local issues and U.S. issues.
"For example, there’s a poster of a waste dump. Underneath the
poster, there’s information about how hazardous waste is located
disproportionately near communities of color, and it’s also being
shipped abroad.
"This really effects African countries like Nigeria and South
Africa. It’s important to see that our pollution isn’t just
affecting us. It’s being shipped abroad when we should be dealing
with it here," Kidokoro says.
In this sense, the artifacts help to put the environmental
posters into context. The items collected from Eritrea include
clothing, jewelry, tools and postcards depicting the region and its
people.
Alexa Hale, a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, has amassed her
collection from people who have recently come to the United States
from the region. The country, which borders Ethiopia on the north,
Sudan on the west and Somalia on the east, has been in turmoil for
the past 30 years, only becoming independent in 1993.
"Most people don’t have an idea of where Eritrea is and that
they’re an independent nation," Hale says. "So I thought I should
show some of the things people use so they can get a visual idea of
the culture."
Hale emphasizes that this culture is thousands of years old,
influenced by the Roman and Christian world to the north. She draws
the distinction between the traditions of this region and those of
west Africa, which are what most people think of when they think of
African culture.
"I’m always very surprised and very amazed that people don’t
know a lot of the different countries in Africa," says Hale.
"People don’t realize that there are different cultures in
different parts of Africa.
"I wanted people to be aware that here is a country that has
been in a war for the last 30 years, but that the people here
aren’t starving like the people you see on TV. Life goes on."
The third portion of the exhibit takes the viewer from Africa to
Mexico and India. The oversized puppets, known as gigantes, come
from Oaxaca, Mexico. They are part of the collection of design
professor James Bassler and his wife Vera-Lee.
"The puppets are used in religious parades today in Oaxaca,"
explains Yayoi Robinson, co-director of WorldFest ’95. "People
actually get inside them up to about the waist to dance."
The puppets will be featured in the Sculpture Garden between 11
a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday. Bassler also provided his collection of
masks, which he made for the 1994 dance production "Matsya," to
round out the exhibit.
"Visiting professor Avanthi Meduri, who produced the show, asked
him to make these masks to represent specific mythological animals
from Hinduism," Robinson says. "For example, the fish represents
the origin of life."
The masks and puppets join with the posters and artifacts to
present a global view of two important issues, the environment and
cultural diversity, which both Earth Week and WorldFest ’95 give
everyone a chance to think about.
EXHIBIT: Masks, puppets, environmental art and Eritrean
artifacts in the Kerckhoff Art Gallery this week. Presented by
WorldFest ’95 and Earth Week.