It has been reported, and we have reluctantly confirmed, that someone had fun in the gallery. We wish to address this calmly, before it spreads.
Our Position
The Institute is not opposed to fun. We are opposed to visible fun, uncredited fun, fun that occurs without first checking whether it is the appropriate response. Fun, in our view, is acceptable only when it has been earned, theorised, and ideally invoiced.
The Difficulty
The trouble with our work is that it is, against our every intention, rather fun. A person uploads a photograph of a kebab, receives a sweeping abstract masterpiece, and laughs, out loud, with the whole face. We have watched this happen. We did not know where to look.
We had aimed for reverence. We achieved delight. This is the great unresolved tension at the heart of the Institute, and we are far too proud to fix it.
A Compromise
After deliberation, the committee has arrived at a sustainable position:
- You may have fun.
- You must not let us see it.
- If caught, describe it as "engagement" or "a meaningful encounter."
In this way, everyone's dignity survives, including ours, which is the most fragile dignity in the building.
In Closing
We remain, officially, cautiously against fun. Unofficially, we have been enjoying ourselves enormously since last Tuesday, and we would thank you not to mention it.
The Committee, having far too much fun to admit it