Uniform
of the Day
Nancy Wynn and Robert Dennis
January 10th – February 24th, 2006
What does
a uniform communicate? Sameness? Belonging to a group? Power? In military
speak, “the uniform of the day” is the dictated apparel required
of all members of the group for any particular situation.
This art piece suggests a different kind of uniform. Based on the quintessential
American fashion of white T-shirt and blue jeans, this “Uniform
of the Day” is no longer about conformity, but rather about expression
and public communication. It is based on a classic American identity.
And it asks questions and makes statements about the current state of
America.
The clothes we wear are personal. But in the very act of wearing them,
we make them public. They become our expression. This piece, however,
frames personal expression, not in colors or styles, but in simple, direct
messages that are intended to express the wearer’s state of mind
in relation to current events, or perceived conditions, or aspirations.
In this piece, there is a “uniform” for each of the seven
days of the week. From some perspectives, they are all the same. Yet,
they are all different. There is no dictate as to what to wear, only the
wearer’s state of mind and connection to the outside world. And
each message is intended to generate comment, or initiate dialogue.
The art piece takes two forms. The first is installed at the Joseloff
Gallery at the University of Hartford, Hartford, CT. The second form is
a performance each day. Performers, as of January 10th, are Nancy Wynn,
Kelly Wynn Burns and Christine Gerber. Each performer chooses a T-shirt
to wear based on their personal statement for the day. Performers will
engage in dialogue, if asked about the T-shirt, and then post an entry
on the website, nancywynn.com, of the day’s interactions. If more
performers participate, then their entries will be added to the postings.
The maximum performers, for this art piece, are seven.
So what uniform are you wearing right now? What are you trying to
communicate?
The performance:
The performers for this piece choose a T-shirt to wear for the day based
on a message they would like to communicate to the public. The message
can have personal, local, national or international connections. The performer
wears the shirt hoping that the public will engage in a dialogue with
them. The performer then chooses what to record on the daily web blog.
These recordings are on the web blog and installed weekly in the Joseloff
Gallery. As of 2/1/06 the performers are: Nancy Wynn; Kelly Wynn Burns,
a high school art teacher in the Hartford, CT area; Christine Gerber,
an second-grade elementary teacher in the Boston area; Justin Good, a
lecturer, writer and philosopher in the Middletown, CT area; and Alfred
Martinez, a New York-based fine artist. Most of his time is spent in Manhattan
and the Jersey Shore. He also is a full professor at one of the top 50
public Universities.
The Gallery:
A complete installation is installed at the Joseloff Gallery on the University
of Hartford Campus. Photographs of the installation are shown at gallery
images.
© Nancy Wynn and Robert Dennis, 2006
