Writer encourages taking advantage of Speaker Series
By: Laney Gibson – Chief A&E Writer
I have every intention of taking advantage of each opportunity the University of Dayton has to offer to broaden my wee range of college-aged thinking – the key word in that lofty goal being “intention.”
I intend to go to speakers, events and any other experience that is designed to shift my perception from our UD bubble to the greater world outside. However, life gets busy. Enlightening myself takes back seat to work, procrastination, a general wallowing and finding relatively unhealthy ways to ignore the looming question of post-grad life. However, I encourage my peers (and myself) to not take this approach this time around during Human Rights Week 2014, which started Monday, Feb. 16.
Krysztof Wodiczko’s lecture is a part of this year’s Speaker Series, and will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in KU Ballroom. Wodiczko is an artist, professor and director of Arts, Design and the Public Domain at Harvard University.
Harvard, people. This artist has some serious credentials; his public projections have taken place in over 80 locations. He was also awarded the Hiroshima Prize in 1998 and a Life Contribution Award from the Polish Ministry of Culture in 2009.
His signature pieces of art are site-specific and use video projections over famous monuments and architecture. These politically charged works embody human rights, among other important issues. If you have not seen these incredible projections, take a minute out of your day to look them up on the nearest laptop or smartphone. They will not disappoint.
In the lecture, he will explore the different ways to overcome violence and cultures of aggression and how to increase understanding of global interdependence through Art Activism. Global interdependence is an important topic that is sometimes overlooked. We live in an increasingly connected environment because of technological advancement, and learning about how we can create change from an experienced speaker is invaluable.
His talk will discuss topics that should be something that college students are concerned about. As we prepare to enter the work force, world issues should become a concern. Students now have a unique opportunity to actively involve themselves in current events and potentially make strides to create change.
Attending a university that encourages speakers and dialogue about important issues such as violence, war and peace is something we should celebrate and take advantage of. With influential and accomplished speakers such as Wodiczko, students should start jumping on the opportunities to broaden their horizons that are quite literally at their fingertips.
If you find yourself dragging your feet to class in an apathetic stupor this winter, seek intellectual rejuvenation and perhaps a new perspective on new life goals – take a listen to Krzysztof Wodiczko. Maybe you will find a new idea to get excited about and pull yourself up by your bootstraps to make it to the end of the semester. One can only gain from such an influential and accomplished person’s presentation, especially about issues of peace and violence that could effect our generation today.