Volume CXXXII, Number 1 September 13, 2002 f

Goats, first-year portraits, and a giant...
MAIA-CHRISTINA LEE
ORIENT STAFF

If you've been on the Bowdoin quad since the semester began, you've

Karsten Moran,, Bowdoin Orient

probably noticed the presence of something new (and no, it's not because the cross country team is doing more midnight laps). Lining the inside of the fishbowl on the first floor of the VAC is a graphic combination of black and white images that comprise a new mural: "Dedicated to our mothers."
Designed by senior art majors Todd Forsgren and Eric Legris, the mural features naked figures in a variety of poses and sizes combined with animals and randomly selected portraits taken from none other than the freshman face book.

Though these images easily demand the attention of any passerby, their meaning is a bit more difficult to discern. "We enjoy the fact that the murals are cryptic," said Eric of his work. "We want people to bring their own interpretations to the paintings. We don't think it's important to define them absolutely."

With the hopes of maintaining an open space in which to interpret their murals, Eric and Todd were reluctant to specify much further on the source of their inspiration. However, they did tell me that the murals reflect a certain mythology: a combination of art historical references, mythical figures, and the Bowdoin experience in general. These ideas work in conjunction with a desire to welcome first-year students to campus.

"The freshmen are a fresh population of students," said Eric, "and we hope that they won't feel constrained by a somewhat conservative campus. Our mural is a little more provocative than other things in the fish bowl. It has a lot of passion and that's a metaphor for what we feel the Bowdoin community can offer."

The idea for the mural, which was started before classes began this fall, grew organically out of Eric and Todd's collaborative work while on campus this summer. Eric had been studying the figure while Todd had been modeling for some local artists. They were both interested in painting the figure and began with that idea in mind.

After getting permission to design the mural by Professor Mark Wethli of the visual arts department, Eric and Todd began to brainstorm ideas for something that would grab the attention of incoming first-years and upperclassmen alike. However, nothing was planned absolutely. Besides completing some preliminary sketches, Eric and Todd worked mostly from the mural itself, adjusting it as it grew larger and became more detailed. "It incorporates the image of a Greek pot," they told me, "and anything can go on a Greek pot."

As for the sexual nature of the paintings, Eric and Todd did not intend them to have shock value. However, they did admit that they had gotten plenty of wild responses to their work. "So far our best critics have been kids biking by and saying things like 'that is some messed up animal sex,'" explained Todd.

Ironically, most of the Bowdoin students that have approached Eric and Todd about the mural have been less distressed by the sexual content than by the idea of painting first-year faces on a wall that occupies such a prominent position in the center of campus.

"If I came to campus as a freshmen this year and saw my own face up on a wall I would probably think it was pretty weird," said Bethany Dittmar '03. However, if your face does appear on the wall, do not worry. Eric and Todd assured me that the faces were picked randomly.

"We chose pictures that had good composition. Sometimes we needed someone looking to the right or to the left because that would lead the viewer's eyes more deeply into the mural. We also tended to choose people who looked like they had submitted quintessential high school graduation pictures. In addition, we wanted photographs that had good resolution."
Eric and Todd also invited other artists to help them complete the portrait section of the mural. Donating their hands and talents to the efforts were seniors Alex Noznick and Lauren Adams. "We wanted to get different styles involved," said Eric. However, no matter how many different styles and talents are featured in the fishbowl, their marks upon its walls are temporary. In three weeks the mural will be painted over and the presence of all brushwork will disappear as room is made for new exhibitions.

So, if you happen to take a gander from Pickard to the tower in the next couple weeks, be sure to stop by while the mural is still there. It may be a long time before anything in the fishbowl hangs quite like this.