I just learned that "Surrounded by Memory," my installation in this year's Aliquippa Embraces Art festival, has been stolen. Someone removed (at least) the four tape machines from the installation space; at this time I don't know if the visitor-response tape was stolen also. At the moment, I'm still planning on giving a talk about the piece on August 29; I just won't be able to refer people to the piece for examples. It's a shame that the relationship between the piece and the community has been ruined by some moron who couldn't see more than a bunch of free radios.

As I think about it, this episode is emblematic of a sector of Aliquippa's problems. It seems likely to me that it was the tape players were lifted by somebody young (stereotyping here, but such an opportunity crime says "young person" to me). The tapes in them, I'm sure, are gone with the players, probably to be erased. What you would have in a case like this is a young person who can't see the value in what the older people of the community have to say. (Most of my interviews were with older Aliquippa residents.) If the person who took the tape players valued the teaching and the memory of their elders on the tapes, they'd leave the piece in place. Instead, they overlook the wisdom and see only the chance for immediate material gain, missing the long view for the short view.

What do you do to correct this? I don't know.