I am always ranting to my students about using beauty to draw
the viewer in. A great concept doesn't change the fact that your work
is going to be viewed from 15-20 feet away at first glance, and you need
to find a way to make someone actually look at what you've done. Once you pull them in, have something interesting going on.
Suspended Together has that potential. Here is the artist's statement:
“Suspended Together” is an installation that gives the
impression of movement and freedom. However, a closer look at the 200
doves allows the viewer to realize that the doves are actually frozen
and suspended with no hope of flight. An even closer look shows that
each dove carries on its body a permission document that allows a Saudi
woman to travel. Notwithstanding their circumstances, all Saudi women
are required to have this document, issued by their appointed male
guardian.
The artist reached out to a large group of leading women from Saudi
Arabia to donate their permission documents for inclusion in this
artwork. “Suspended Together” carries the documents of award-winning
scientists, educators, journalists, engineers, artists and leaders with
groundbreaking achievements that gave back to their society. The
youngest contributor is six months old and the oldest is 60 years old.
In the artist’s words, “regardless of age and achievement, when it comes
to travel, all these women are treated like a flock of suspended
doves."
You can see more images here: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/02/suspended-together/