Texas Tech art exhibit cries out for help

(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas-Texas Tech University police partially dismantled a student's art exhibit Friday morning after recorded sounds emanating from the exhibit were

mistaken for distress calls by a maintenance man.

The sounds, which consisted of cries and pleas for help, were used to reinforce themes of separation and abnormality, said artist Kara Donatelli, a graduate student.

Donatelli described her art as a small, enclosed area with a mannequin behind a false wall that was visible through a frosted-glass window. The exhibit was titled "The

Intrusion of Sonority."

"I did an installation in a closet, so I transformed a closet-space into an institution-like setting," Donatelli said. "I was trying to give a feeling of comfort, and then once you're in there, you hear the banging and the 'let me out' and you feel uncomfortable in that space you thought would be inviting."

School officials said the exhibit was dismantled for investigative purposes only.

"We had a maintenance man working in the building doing some maintenance work in the crawl space," said Michael Sommermeyer, associate director of the Texas Tech News and Publications Office. "Not sure what was going on, he called in the police department. They weren't sure if it was a hoax, so what they did was take out the tape recording equipment and take it back to [the police station for investigation]."

Campus police confirmed that the exhibit was removed.

"We did temporarily take the audio equipment into custody," said Dan Hale, a public information officer for the Texas Tech campus police.

According to the police report, a CD player and speakers were removed from the sub-basement of the art building. Donatelli added that a light and a light fixture were also confiscated.

Hale stressed the necessity of removing the audio equipment from the exhibition area.

"The only other way we had to put an end to the music and the recorded voices would have been to tear down a [false] wall," Hale said.

Sommermeyer said the maintenance worker's concern and the subsequent police action was fair.

"At the time, here was a guy who didn't know it was an art project," Sommermeyer said. "Our feeling was that it wouldn't be unreasonable for a reasonable person to think there was a person needing assistance."

Donatelli said she doesn't think that she was the victim of malice, but believes the campus police went too far.

"I'm sure it was an honest mistake, but I think they got a little bit out of hand," Donatelli said, adding the fate of the exhibit is pending.