Some Food For Thought: Conversation Becomes Art 
BY CATHARINE RICHERT

It is not every day that Fisher Hall is turned into a living room. The fact that Fisher is primarily used to display non-interactive paintings, photographs and sculpture makes senior Andrew Styer’s senior exhibition cracked open a small world even more striking.

(photo by Pauline Shapiro)

Instead of the typical array of framed wall pieces and distant installation art, Styer uses the space to create a common ground, an area where visitors can drop in, interact with their surroundings, eat and simply communicate. The exhibit, which began Monday, will be on display through Friday.

The area is created with mismatched chairs and couches circularly situated near the entrance of Fisher. The worn, cushy furniture invites the visitor to take a seat and relax. Against the far wall, there is a long blue table accompanied by kitchen table chairs where Styer serves dinner every day at 7 p.m. Soft lighting filters from four yellow walls installed at either end of the room.
Another striking feature of Styer’s space is his use of primary colors. The floor is painted red in areas, paired with a blue table and yellow paneling. Reminiscent of childhood classrooms and finger-painting, these colors bring Fisher to life. 
Styer said he hopes the colors will put people at ease. “Colors give a lot more life to this space. They make me happy and playful,” Styer said.
Despite the initial reaction of “Cool. What a neat room,” the viewer may become confused as to what Styer’s motivation is. The artist’s transformation of Fisher is an extension of an earlier photography series called Dying is Easy..., which explored the hardships of daily living that make the enjoyment of life more challenging. 

“Living is hard,” Styer writes in his personal statement, “All the pressure this place can bring to bear, about what I should do with my life, what I should be and care about and fight for...How the hell anyone finds their way coherently through this whole mess is beyond me.” 

Although the original photographs are not included in Styer’s exhibit, they provided a point of reference. When life becomes most trying, interactions and connections become a great comfort. Styer thus strives to create a space where these essential exchanges come alive. 
“I want there to be the chance for people to recognize themselves in each other, to touch and be touched in return,” Styer writes. “The ritual of conversation and social interactions, for me then becomes the artwork...the art is off the wall, brought into peoples’ lives in hopes that they will remember and treasure the interactions they have...to refresh them when they need it.”
If conversation is art, it is questionable if Styer can claim these interactions as his work. “If I make anything, it’s the space,” Styer said. “I tried to set up the space to encourage these interactions. I can’t ever claim the reactions that happen in there as my own...It’s a weird thing — it requires audience participation, it makes the viewer work more.”
The philosophy behind the creation of Styer’s “den” is its strongest facet. The actual design of the space is lacking in tangible creativity. Despite Styer’s attempt to make Fisher Hall look less drab, the area still feels fake and consequently less comfortable. The set up of the furniture and installations do not indicate much thought in placement; there is very little pure artistic quality in the entire room. The viewer is inevitably compelled to ask “It this really art?” Since Styer provides virtually no explanation for his layout, any essence of artistic motivation becomes flimsy. It is an immense challenge to create a non-artistic space in an established gallery, and Styer proves to be only mildly successful in doing so.
One thing is certain, however: 
unconventionality is key to Styer’s work. His use of quotidian objects and activities challenge traditional ideas of what constitutes art. Additionally, his work initiates questions of how gallery space dictates ideas and interactions with art. Just as some artists paint a landscape to
demonstrate the beauty of life, Styer creates a space where friends and strangers can discover life’s beauty through each other. So stop by. Take a load off. Connect.