ART IN UNEXPECTED PLACES - Bloom by Lauri Stallings and glo ATL

One of my students sent me an email inviting me to attend an event that he was helping with. In the email, he expressed such excitement and said that he knew without a doubt that I would love it.
...then he said where it was
...and I prepared how I would kindly tell him no thanks.

I don't do malls, and I had no desire whatsoever to be in Lenox Mall on Valentine's Day Weekend.

But this was Andrew Tate, one of the most engaging and enthusiastic students, and he made a convincing argument.


What I experienced was one of the most dynamic public, free, (kinetic) art exhibits I've seen in Atlanta. These dancers, who later I had learned had never practiced in this space, infused their bodies with everything in their environment.

Stairs were turned into piano keys. Escalators were suddenly lifting more than just people and their bags of very visibly marked commercial products. Actually the dark black metal stairs Croc catchers temporarily disappeared and people seemed to float on their own.


This space where the preoccupation with self and the drive for individuality is mocked by the somehow ignored reality that everyone inside looks like a carbon copy of the next was transformed. Suddenly an experiment other than commercialism was introduced and once injected (even if unknowingly) seemed to flow throughout the entire "body".

Some people accepted willingly and became a part of the art themselves. Others waltzed aimlessly and seemed to be aware of nothing other than their never ending string of text messages.

...and just like that they were gone
...moving spontaneously through the arteries of the space and disappearing without leaving a trace...or at least one may think.

But I beg to differ. I think that their energy was transferred, and the next time you are in Lenox Mall if you listen closely you can hear Mozart playing when you walk down the stairs.
-carlton mackey

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