Events and Games 1964

Editor: Here we have Mieko Shiomi's 'Events and Games', a collection of ephemera contained in a plastic box. It looks almost like a game or puzzle. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The plastic casing immediately speaks to mass production and accessibility, right? It demystifies the art object by presenting it in a commonplace, almost disposable container. The contents hint at process. Editor: Process? Curator: Consider the crumpled paper, the printed text. Are these instructions? Raw materials? Shiomi seems to be questioning the traditional boundaries between the artistic creation and its reception, almost inviting participation. What do you make of it? Editor: I see how she’s blurring the lines between art object and interactive event, making us think about how art is made and consumed.