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Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight)

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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 claims to have been raped in her own bed while a second-year student at Columbia. She has harshly criticized the university's handling of her case and has become widely known for her performance art piece, Mattress Performance (Carry that Weight), which involves her carrying around a mattress until her alleged assailant is expelled from Columbia.

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.

Alleged rape and response

Sulkowicz has stated she was anally raped on the first day of her sophomore year. The alleged attack occurred in August 2012, and occurred after she had had sex with her alleged rapist two previous times. She initially did not report it because she "didn't feel like dealing with the emotional trauma," but she later filed a complaint against her alleged rapist, as did two other women. Seven months after the alleged incident, the school held a hearing in which they found the accused rapist "not responsible" in all three cases. Her alleged rapist is still a student at Columbia. The Columbia Spectator controversially decided to publish his name after Sulkowicz filed a police report against him, with the editors stating that they felt it would be "irresponsible to keep his name hidden".

In response, Sulkowicz, along with 22 other students, filed a federal Title IX complaint against Columbia and Barnard College in April 2014 alleging that these universities had mishandled their cases.

She has criticized Columbia University for being "more concerned about their public image than keeping people safe," and has also argued that the administrators at her hearing acted "idiotically", citing the fact that one panelist stated it was impossible to have anal sex without lubrication. In an open letter in the Columbia Spectator, Sulkowicz's parents agreed with her and said that "The investigation, hearing, and appeals process that followed her complaint to the University were painfully mishandled."

Initial mattress protest

In September 2014, Sulkowicz began protesting what she considers Columbia's mishandling of her case by carrying a mattress around campus, which has received nationwide attention. Sulkowicz has called the project "Mattress Performance: Carry That Weight", and has made it the subject of her senior thesis. She has said she will continue carrying her mattress around until the student she accuses of raping her is expelled. Sulkowicz has also stated that she was raped in her own bed and that since then, the space has become "fraught" for her.

Reception

Sulkowicz's protest has been compared to the Stations of the Cross and to the Scarlet Letter. 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." Artnet called it "one of the most important artworks of the year," while Jerry Saltz named it the best art show of 2014. Performance artist Marina Abramovic has said that she "really want to meet" Sulkowicz and that she was curious about what Sulkowicz's next work would be. 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.

Subsequent protests

On October 29, dozens (or possibly hundreds) of students carried mattresses in protest of Columbia University's sexual assault policies at the school's Morningside Heights campus. That same day, similar protests occurred elsewhere around the world, as part of the "National Day of Action to Carry That Weight". This event was organized by the group "Carrying that Weight Together," which was inspired by Sulkowicz's protest.

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Sulkowicz, Emma (15 May 2014). "'My Rapist Is Still on Campus'". Time. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  3. Fenton, Reuven (2 September 2014). "Ivy student carries mattress everywhere after 'rapist' isn't expelled". New York Post. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. Deutsch, Lindsay (3 September 2014). "Columbia student to carry mattress until alleged rapist leaves campus". USA Today. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  6. "Why we published the name of an alleged rapist". Columbia Spectator. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. 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)
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Smith, Roberta (22 September 2014). "In a Mattress, a Lever for Art and Political Protest". New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  12. Davis, Ben (4 September 2014). "Columbia Student's Striking Mattress Performance". artnet. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  13. Saltz, Jerry (10 December 2014). "The 19 Best Art Shows of 2014". Vulture. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  14. "Susan B. Anthony Awards". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  15. "Ms. Wonder Awards Honor Young Grassroots Leaders in Anti-Violence and Fair Wage Movements". 19 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  16. Schonfeld, Zach (30 October 2014). "Photos: Hundreds of Columbia Students Carry Mattresses in Sexual Assault Protest". Newsweek. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  17. Svokos, Alexandra (29 October 2014). "Students Bring Out Mattresses In Huge 'Carry That Weight' Protest Against Sexual Assault". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
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