Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight)
Emma Sulkowicz is an American woman who is currently a fourth-year student and visual arts major at Columbia University in New York City. She has claimed that she was raped in her own bed while a second-year student at Columbia, though the accused classmate insists the sex was consensual. An administrative inquiry by the university found the student "not responsible" of sexual assault, and Sulkowicz did not press any criminal charges against him. She has harshly criticized the university's handling of her case and has become widely known for her senior thesis performance art piece, Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight, which she says involves her carrying around a mattress until her purported assailant is expelled from Columbia. After initial praise and acclaim, she has received mixed responses for her ongoing efforts.
Biography
Sulkowicz is the daughter of Sandra Leong and Kerry Sulkowicz, both psychiatrists from Manhattan. She attended Dalton School on the Upper East Side. She originally planned to major in mechanical physics in college, but found herself drawn to visual arts instead.[1]
Alleged rapes and university investigation
After she discussed her experience with two other women, the three decided to file complaints against the same student. The accused has argued that the charges, which were all brought within days of each other, were the result of collusion and are fraudulent. The three women said in interviews with The New York Times that they decided to take action when they heard about one another’s experiences.[2]
Sulkowicz has stated that she was anally raped on the first day of her sophomore year.[3] The purported attack occurred in August 2012, after she had had sex with her alleged rapist two previous times.[4] She initially did not report the incident, claiming that she "didn't feel like dealing with the emotional trauma."[3] Her complaint was dismissed for lack of evidence, and her request for an appeal was denied.[5]
The second woman accused the same student of groping her at a party. This complaint was initially decided against him, with a largely symbolic punishment of disciplinary probation, but the student appealed. When the case was heard again, the accuser had graduated and claimed she was unable to participate in the process; the decision was overturned.[2]
The third woman accused him of emotional abuse and nonconsensual sex during a months-long relationship.[5] After the complaining student said she was "exhausted by the barrage of questions" and stopped responding to emails.,[2] the abuse charges were dropped.
The Columbia Spectator controversially decided to publish the purpoted attacker's name after Sulkowicz filed a police report against him.[6] The editors stated that they felt it would be "irresponsible to keep his name hidden", noting that the student had been at the center of three sexual assault complaints as well as a number of fliers posted in bathroom stalls around campus.[7]
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 cases.[3][8] 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.[9]
Sulkowicz has criticized Columbia University for being "more concerned about their public image than keeping people safe."[3] 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."[10]
Mattress protest piece
In September 2014, Sulkowicz began her visual arts senior thesis, which consists of carrying a mattress around campus for as long as she attends the same school as her alleged rapist. The performance has received nationwide attention.[8] Sulkowicz has called the project Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight[5][11] and has said she will continue carrying the mattress around until her alleged rapist is expelled or they both graduate.[1] 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.[12]
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.[13] 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".[14]
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."[15] 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".[16][17] 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.[8] 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.[18][19]
The student whom Sulkowicz accused of rape complained in an interview with The New York Times that the mattress performance is not an act of artistic expression, but instead "is an act of bullying, a very public, very personal and very painful attack designed to hound him out of Columbia."[2] He complained that protesters have followed him around, carrying mattresses to his classes, and posting photos and information about his everyday activities online. He also complained that he was not permitted to use communications between himself and the alleged victim as evidence, and expressed disbelief that anyone could believe he was guilty even after his accusers failed to meet the low evidentiary standard applicable in the university hearing process.[2] The student also noted that since Sulkowicz's protest serves as her senior thesis, it is being supervised by a Columbia faculty member.[2]
Ashe Schow of the Washington Examiner wrote that "She finds time to go to the State of the Union address and tell her story again and again to major media outlets and MTV and promote her college art project (carrying around the mattress) but won’t do what needs to be done to get the man she accused, who is, according to her, a rapist, off the streets and away from other potential victims".[20] Sulkowicz said in January 2015 that no one at the State of the Union seemed to have recognized her: "even when Senator Gillibrand introduced me no one seemed to know who I was" [21]
References
- ^ a b Grigoriadis, Vanessa (21 September 2014). "Meet the College Women Who Are Starting a Revolution Against Campus Sexual Assault". New York Magazine. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Kaminer, Ariel (22 December 2014). "Accusers and the Accused, Crossing Paths at Columbia University". New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d Sulkowicz, Emma (15 May 2014). "'My Rapist Is Still on Campus'". Time. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Fenton, Reuven (2 September 2014). "Ivy student carries mattress everywhere after 'rapist' isn't expelled". New York Post. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Deutsch, Lindsay (3 September 2014). "Columbia student to carry mattress until alleged rapist leaves campus". USA Today. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ "Why we published the name of an alleged rapist". Columbia Spectator. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ a b c 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". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Kingkade, Tyler (12 January 2015). "Columbia University Is Under Federal Investigation For Sexual Assault Cases". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ 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) - ^ 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.
- ^ Roy, Jessica (2 September 2014). "Columbia Student Will Carry a Mattress Everywhere Until Her Alleged Rapist Is Expelled". New York Magazine. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ Schonfeld, Zach (30 October 2014). "Photos: Hundreds of Columbia Students Carry Mattresses in Sexual Assault Protest". Newsweek. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Svokos, Alexandra (29 October 2014). "Students Bring Out Mattresses In Huge 'Carry That Weight' Protest Against Sexual Assault". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ Smith, Roberta (22 September 2014). "In a Mattress, a Lever for Art and Political Protest". New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ Davis, Ben (4 September 2014). "Columbia Student's Striking Mattress Performance". artnet. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Saltz, Jerry (10 December 2014). "The 19 Best Art Shows of 2014". Vulture. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "Susan B. Anthony Awards". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ "Ms. Wonder Awards Honor Young Grassroots Leaders in Anti-Violence and Fair Wage Movements". 19 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Ashe Schow. "The Left is still looking for a modern 'rape culture' poster child". Washington Examiner.
- ^ Katie Van Syckle. "Sulkowicz Was 'Let Down' by State of the Union -- NYMag". Daily Intelligencer.