21 Minus

This Saturday, I had the opportunity to go and attend 21 Minus at the Museum of Contemporary Art.  I was really excited because this was a youth event and I was going to be able to see a few of my friends.  The first thing I saw when I walked in was a boy buried in a bed of dirt.  Around him was flowers.  He asked me, " Do you want to plant one?"  Sure enough I did plant one.  It really got me excited for the rest of the event.  I began to talk to this flower man about the Teen Creative Agency (TCA) at the MCA.  It is a group of artists and thinkers under the age of 21 years old who meet weekly at the MCA to discuss, explore, and curate, contemporary art.

At 4:30, I got to watch a performance by Tim Tsang and Qadash Troutman about our relationship to technology.  It was a very interesting dance performance and explored how attached we have become to our technology.  They asked to put our phones away and just watch and experience their message.  I thought this was extremely interesting in contrast to this inquiry strand because it really tackles the question of the other side of technology.  As someone who is a huge advocate for it, it is always interesting to enrich yourself with a diverse opinion.  I really enjoyed 21 Minus, and I really respect how the MCA really let these kids take full creative control.  I loved seeing kids my age leading discussions and performances, it really was inspiring.

What I pulled from this event is the power of community.  It was so amazing to seeing kids that were all ages participating.  I really think that kids are asked to act like an adult, but treated like a kid.  This program really enables kids to pursue their opinions and their free thinking.  I didn't think a performance like this about technology would even be possible until this event.  I hope to be able to attend next year!