Venice Bienniale: Art of War?

America is represented by Jennifer Allora SM '03 and Guillermo Calzadilla at the Venice Biennale 2011 and their work, gloria, is making people talk—and sometimes gawk.

One piece, Track and Field, offers a military tank flipped on its back with a treadmill fitted on top; a runner hops on the treadmill as the squeaky treads rotate underneath for 15 minutes every hour, evoking war and "might" of various kinds. The New York Times suggested that the piece was a “chance to question patriotism.”

In a YouTube video, the artists’ team known as Allora & Calzadilla, explain their belief that art can function as a catalyst for social change and why they seek active participation and critical responses from their viewers.

See what you think of the six pieces designed for the U.S. pavilion: body in flight (american), body in flight (delta), algorithm, track and field, armed freedom lying on a sunbed, and half-mast/full-mast.