Last weekend I went to go see a work of performance art in Ann Arbor. As the title states, this was "As Far as my Fingertips Take Me," a work that I think has been traveling around the US. The basic premise is that you sit down, stick your left hand through a hole in a wall, and a refugee paints your arm while you listen to his story through a pair of headphones. Whole thing takes about 15 minutes.
It's super powerful, like I was getting someone else's tattoo inscribed on my arm. And the fact that I couldn't see him until the work was over really affected me. It's not often that you let someone touch you without seeing them, and even rarer that you surrender over your arm for someone else to paint on. That was wild.
I left thinking a lot about anonymity and other people's lives, how we hear about tragedies like the refugee crisis constantly but because of the way the news works we never really internalize that those are PEOPLE out there with lives and families and who make art like this. And beyond that, the people you pass on the street are just the same.
This was a super powerful experience, if you hear of the show or something similar is happening near you, I would definitely recommend grabbing a ticket.
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