Is It Decluttering Or Art?

The Museum of Modern Art in New York has a show continuing through Sept. 21 titled “Waste Not”. Listen to the story of artist Song Dong (from the New York Times).

“When Mr. Song’s father died in 2002 his mother was inconsolable. She continued to live in the jammed Beijing house, throwing nothing away and obsessively bringing more stuff into it, as if continuing to feather a nest for a now-absent family. And despite the threatened destruction of the surrounding area, she would make no move that entailed parting with her possessions.”

“Finally in 2005 Mr. Song proposed that they turn the accumulated junk into an art project. In that way, he argued, nothing would be discarded and lost; everything would be meaningfully recycled and preserved.”
“They sorted the contents into meticulous piles and groupings. As a finishing touch, Mr. Song created a neon sign reading, ‘Dad, don’t worry, Mum and we are fine,’ and hung it over the installation.”

When we are moving Seniors or providing Executor Assistance, we often meet people who react to their loss the same way Mr. Song’s mom did. Although we aren’t all artists with his talent, the concept of artfully dealing with the most treasured possessions is a good one. The benefit is that mom is living in a safer and more liveable situation. Think about how you might do this with someone you know.

Read the full NY Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/arts/design/15song.html
or visit http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/961