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Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight)

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Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight)

Sulkowicz with mattress on campus
October 2014

ArtistEmma Sulkowicz
YearCreated in September 2014
TypeEndurance art, performance art[1]
SubjectSulkowicz carrying 50lb twin mattress on Columbia University campus
LocationUpper Manhattan, New York City

Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight) is a work of endurance performance art by Emma Sulkowicz, an American fourth-year visual arts major at Columbia University in New York.[1] Created in September 2014 for her senior thesis, the work involves Sulkowicz carrying a 50lb, extra-long, dark-blue mattress wherever she goes on campus, until a student she alleges sexually assaulted her is expelled from or leaves the university.[2]

Art critic Jerry Saltz included Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight) in his list of the best art shows of 2014, calling it "pure radical vulnerability."[3] The accused student, who was found "not responsible" by a university inquiry, described it as an act of bullying.[4]

Emma Sulkowicz

Emma Sulkowicz, December 2014

Emma Sulkowicz (born 1992)[5] is of Chinese, Japanese and Jewish descent, the daughter of Sandra Leong and Kerry Sulkowicz, psychiatrists from Manhattan. Sulkowicz attended Dalton School on the Upper East Side, where she was an A student who enjoyed fencing. In 2011 she began her degree at Columbia University, where she joined the Alpha Delta Phi Society. After planning to major in mechanical physics, she chose visual arts instead.[6]

Allegatations, university investigation

Sulkowicz's complaint

The incident took place in August 2012, on the first day of Sulkowicz's sophomore year. She and the accused had had consensual sex on two previous occasions.[7] Sulkowicz complains that the accused anally raped her during their third sexual encounter, which began as consensual, alleging that he hit her, then choked her and pinned her down, while she struggled and told him to stop.[8][9][10] The accused maintains that the sex was entirely consensual and disputes that he was violent.[11]

Sulkowicz did not report the incident initially, saying she was reluctant to deal with the trauma.[8] After she discussed it with two women who said the accused had also sexually assaulted them, the three filed complaints in April 2013.[4][12] The accused said the charges, all brought within days of each other, were the result of collusion and are fraudulent. In Sulkowicz's case, the university found the accused "not responsible" after a hearing in October 2013.[4][11] Her request for an appeal was denied the following month.[13]

Sulkowicz filed a police report in May 2014, but decided not to pursue charges saying it would be "too draining".[11] The Columbia Spectator controversially published the accused's name that month.[14][15] The editors argued that it would have been "irresponsible to keep his name hidden", after he had been at the center of of three sexual assault complaints and was the subject of fliers posted around campus.[16] According to the accused's lawyer, the accused had a meeting with two assistant district attorneys in August 2014, and was later told that no charges would be brought.[11]

In February 2015 the accused showed messages that had passed between him and Sulkowicz to journalist Cathy Young. They included apparently friendly Facebook messages Sulkowicz sent him between August and October 2012, after the alleged assault. She also sent text messages to him in March 2013 suggesting a meeting, but did not pursue it. Sulkowicz confirmed that the messages were genuine.[11][17] She told writer Julie Zeilinger that she had sent the messages because she was "upset and confused," and wanted to discuss the incident with the accused to gain some understanding.[18]

Complaints by other students

A second woman accused the student of emotional abuse and non-consensual sex during a months-long relationship.[13] After the complainant said she was "exhausted by the barrage of questions" and stopped responding to emails over the summer months, the university ruled against her in July 2013.[4][11] A third woman filed a complaint alleging that the accused had groped her at a party. This complaint was initially upheld, and he was given disciplinary probation, but in October 2013 the decision was overturned on appeal.[11] In early February a male student, also a senior at Columbia, alleged that in 2011 the student had sexually assaulted him during a conversation. According to him, he did not file a complaint until learning about Sulkowicz's statements in the fall of 2014. This case has not been heard yet.[19]

Title IX complaint

In April 2014, Sulkowicz, along with 22 other students, filed a federal Title IX complaint against Columbia and Barnard College, stating that these universities had mishandled their sexual assault complaints.[8][2] Sulkowicz says in response to her complaint, she was repeatedly asked how anal sex without lubrication is physically possible, saying she was met with not only skepticism but also "disturbing ignorance".[20]

In January 2015, the U.S. Department of Education announced that Columbia was under federal investigation for possible violation of its Title II and IX obligations.[21]

Sulkowicz has criticized her school for being "more concerned about their public image than keeping people safe."[8] In an open letter in the Columbia Spectator, Sulkowicz's parents said that "the investigation, hearing, and appeals process that followed her complaint to the University were painfully mishandled."[12]

Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight

In September 2014, Sulkowicz began her visual arts senior thesis. It consists of carrying a mattress identical to the one on which the alleged rape took place around campus for as long as she attends the same school as her alleged rapist. The performance received nationwide attention.[2] Sulkowicz has called the project Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight[13][22] and has said she will continue carrying the mattress around until her alleged rapist is expelled or they both graduate.[6] Sulkowicz has explained that the rationale behind the performance is that she was raped in her own bed, which since then has become a "fraught space" for her.[23]

On October 29, 2014 Columbia students carried roughly a dozen mattresses in protest of Columbia University's sexual assault policies at the school's Morningside Heights campus.[24] A month later, a group inspired by Sulkowicz, called "Carry That Weight," organized similar protests elsewhere around the world, calling for a "National Day of Action to Carry That Weight," which involved students from more than 130 colleges.[25]

Reception

Roberta Smith, writing in The New York Times, described the piece as "strict and lean, yet inclusive and open ended, symbolically laden yet drastically physical."[26] Artnet called it "one of the most important artworks of the year," while Jerry Saltz named it the best art show of 2014, calling it "pure radical vulnerability".[27][3] Performance artist Marina Abramovic has said that she "really want[s] to meet" Sulkowicz and that she was curious about what Sulkowicz's next work would be.[2] Sulkowicz has received the National Organization for Women's Susan B. Anthony Award and the Feminist Majority Foundation's Ms. Wonder Award for the piece.[28][29] Hillary Clinton commented "that image should haunt all of us.”[30]

In an interview with The New York Times, the student whom Sulkowicz accused of rape said that the mattress performance is not an act of artistic expression, but rather "an act of bullying, a very public, very personal and very painful attack designed to hound him out of Columbia." He says that protesters have followed him around, carrying mattresses to his classes, and posting photos and information about his everyday activities online. He has also noted that since Sulkowicz's protest serves as her senior thesis, it is being supervised by a Columbia faculty member.[4]

Sulkowicz was invited to and attended the 2015 State of the Union Address as a guest of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Families Advocating for Campus Equality (FACE) criticized Gillibrand for inviting Sulkowicz saying the honor was "undeserved" noting that Sulkowicz "failed to establish any wrongdoing by the student she accused after a tribunal, and an appeal at Columbia, as well as an investigation by the New York Police Department.” Gillibrand, who co-sponsored the Campus Safety and Accountability Act, defended her invitation of Sulkowicz saying "I wanted Emma to have the opportunity to be part of the State of the Union. I think her presence alone sends a message to my colleagues and to the White House that this issue is important".[31][32][33][34]

References

  1. ^ a b For "endurance performance art", see Sulkowitzc, Emma (2 September 2014). "Emma Sulkowicz: "Carry That Weight", Columbia Daily Spectator, 2:22 mins. Cite error: The named reference "endurance" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d McDonald, Soraya Nadia (29 October 2014). "It's hard to ignore a woman toting a mattress everywhere she goes, which is why Emma Sulkowicz is still doing it". The Washington Post. Cite error: The named reference "wapo" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Saltz, Jerry (10 December 2014). "The 19 Best Art Shows of 2014". Vulture. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e Kaminer, Ariel (22 December 2014). "Accusers and the Accused, Crossing Paths at Columbia University". New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Carry That Weight", Emma Sulkowicz interviewed by Roberta Smith, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, December 2014, c. 48:50 mins.
  6. ^ a b Grigoriadis, Vanessa (21 September 2014). "Meet the College Women Who Are Starting a Revolution Against Campus Sexual Assault", New York Magazine.
  7. ^ Fenton, Reuven (2 September 2014). "Ivy student carries mattress everywhere after 'rapist' isn't expelled". New York Post. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d Sulkowicz, Emma (15 May 2014). "'My Rapist Is Still on Campus'". Time. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  9. ^ Bogler, Emma (16 May 2014). "Frustrated by Columbia's inaction, student reports sexual assault to police". Columbia Spectator. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  10. ^ Gordon, Claire (19 May 2014). "Why college rape victims don't go to the police". Aljazeera America. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Young, Cathy (3 February 2015). "Columbia Student: I Didn't Rape Her", The Daily Beast.
  12. ^ a b Leong, Sandra; Sulkowicz, Kerry (2 October 2014). "An open letter to President Bollinger and the board of trustees". Columbia Spectator. Retrieved 30 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b c Valenti, Jessica (2 September 2014). "Beyond 'no means no': the future of campus rape prevention is 'yes means yes'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  14. ^ Abrams, Abbby and Lau, Steven (16 May 2014). "Why we published the name of an alleged rapist", Columbia Spectator.
  15. ^ Deutsch, Lindsay (3 September 2014). "Columbia student to carry mattress until alleged rapist leaves campus". USA Today. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  16. ^ "Why we published the name of an alleged rapist". Columbia Spectator. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  17. ^ Zavadski, Kate (3 February 2015). "Alleged Rapist in Columbia Case Offers His Version of Events, Produces Message Transcripts", New York Magazine.
  18. ^ Zeilinger, Julie (3 February 2015). "The Treatment of Emma Sulkowicz Proves We Still Have No Idea How to Talk About Rape", Mic.
  19. ^ Roy, Jessica (February 6, 2015). "Male Columbia Student Says Alleged Rapist in 'Mattress Girl' Case Assaulted Him Too". New York Mazagine. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  20. ^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (3 May 2014). "Fight Against Sexual Assaults Holds Colleges to Account". NY Times. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  21. ^ Kingkade, Tyler (12 January 2015). "Columbia University Is Under Federal Investigation For Sexual Assault Cases". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  22. ^ Taylor, Victoria (3 September 2014). "Columbia University student vows to carry mattress everywhere while alleged rapist remains on campus". New York Daily News. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  23. ^ Roy, Jessica (2 September 2014). "Columbia Student Will Carry a Mattress Everywhere Until Her Alleged Rapist Is Expelled", New York Magazine.
  24. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (30 October 2014). "Photos: Hundreds of Columbia Students Carry Mattresses in Sexual Assault Protest". Newsweek. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  25. ^ Svokos, Alexandra (29 October 2014). "Students Bring Out Mattresses In Huge 'Carry That Weight' Protest Against Sexual Assault". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  26. ^ Smith, Roberta (22 September 2014). "In a Mattress, a Lever for Art and Political Protest". New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  27. ^ Davis, Ben (4 September 2014). "Columbia Student's Striking Mattress Performance". artnet. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  28. ^ "Susan B. Anthony Awards". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  29. ^ "Ms. Wonder Awards Honor Young Grassroots Leaders in Anti-Violence and Fair Wage Movements". 19 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  30. ^ Grigoriadis, Vanessa (21 September 2014). "Meet the College Women Who Are Starting a Revolution Against Campus Sexual Assault". NY Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  31. ^ McDonald, Soraya (20 January 2015). "Columbia student Emma Sulkowicz carried mattress to protest campus rape. Now she's attending the State of the Union". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  32. ^ Richardson, Valerie (26 January 2015). "Kirsten Gillibrand blasted for decision to invite Columbia 'mattress girl' to SOTU". The Washington Times. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  33. ^ Van Syckle, Katie (24 January 2015). "Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Talks Campus Rape and The Hunting Ground at Sundance". NY Magazine. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  34. ^ Cascone, Sarah (27 January 2015). "Senator Gillibrand Criticized for Emma Sulkowicz State of the Union Invite". artnet news. Retrieved 3 February 2015.

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