Giving up journalism in the 1990's and concentrating on art in Germany, Sheryl Oring is a performance artist well known by her project called "I wish to say". She currently works as a teaching assistant and graduate assistant in the University of California at San Diego. Integrating old and new forms and styles of media and analyzing the opinion of the public and its diverseness in her works, she focuses her art in the questioning of technology and its importance and function in society today. She relies on other people's contribution to her projects, which are interactive and can be in form of videos, photos, books, performances and others based on the internet. Having once focused on journalism, she achieves her artworks by using tools like the camera, interviews, typewriters, archives and pens. Her main points of view have been three: the purpose of free expression in society, the role of artists in inspiring and racing in the audience and the future of the book in an all-digital era. She explains that her art is "about telling stories" and that communication is an art form. She expresses that her works usually begin with a question or idea, where she develops it with investigation and exploration. She focuses mainly on projects that are interactive with and require a complete process, especially related to the First Amendment or the history of the people.
Right now, Oring is working on a project she started on 2004 called "I wish to Say", in which she dresses herself as a secretary from the 1960's, sets up a public office (with manual typewriter form that time) and asks people on the street, "If I were the president of the United States, what would you wish to say to me?" The people interested in her question can dedicate postcards for the president, which Orning could display or they are sent to the White House. She explains once that, while being in Germany, many Europeans commented that all Americans think alike. This inspired her to start this project in order to prove the wide range of diversity that exists between Americans. She videotapes and takes photos of the performance in order to include them on her shows or present them in exhibitions. In addition, she uses the work obtained for commercial and art books and will be stored digitally on a website so that everyone can share their opinions and views. She enjoys listening to people and having a normal conversation with them. She believes that this is because she was a journalist at first, working as a newspaper writer and editor.
Besides working on the "I Wish to Say" project, she is also working on others, like "Creative Fix" and "Death by Facebook". Many of her projects have been presented on numerous locations, like at the McCormick Freedom Museum in Chicago, Bryant Park at The New York Public Library, San Diego Museum of Art, Conflux Festival in New York and others. In addition, she has received various scholarships thanks to her work, like the Creative Capital Foundation grant and the Puffin Foundation grant.
In terms of what relation there is between Sheryl Oring's "I wish to Say" project with what Bobby Baker does is that they both send packages to very important and powerful people. Maybe Baker was inspired by Oring to send packages of toothpaste pillows to the Queen, or vice versa. In other words, they have the same concept of sending something meaningful (or not) to these kind of people.
Have a good night!
Sincerely,
Michelle
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