in/visibility, boundaries, normality

A verbal examination of the concept of boundary, in/visibility and/or normality by three different U-M-affiliated individuals that includes their self-described positionality and how they came to understand these topics mapped onto U-M's campus.

Informed by pieces such as John Cage's 4'33" (1952) and Alvin Lucier's I Am Sitting in a Room (1969).

[Normality | Boundary | In/Visibility]

What is a boundary but an invisible fence A self-soothing means, a way of making sense Of how we view others and the places we’re in But perhaps, also, itself, a way to understand what’s within?

How do boundaries shape our sense of self? When we choose to disclose, or ask for help. How much do I need to say about me For someone to get a sense of visibility

On what we hide away or refute Or of the things we choose to amplify and unmute? I am so careful to construct a functional facade To be relatable, to hide that I’m not a fraud.

Yet, I’ve realized that I have never felt normal— That I feel most ‘myself’ when I get to be informal. And while this felt very bad, at first, Being abnormal may not, actually, be the worst.