Privation by choice.

Is, apparently, art. I found the article quite interesting, and wouldn't mind riding down to the Corcoran to see this woman in action. I do find it weird, however, that her project constituted primarily the giving up of things that we in the developed world often take for granted. The article points out similarities between this art project and eastern mysticism, I think it's important to point out the similarities between the project and the daily existence of the poverty-stricken and the homeless.

The lack of raiment, the lack of shelter, the lack of privacy; those are things normally associated with poverty. Here, they are associated with Art. The artist's stated reason is that she wants to forego external sources of comfort and rely solely on the internal. The difference between her existence and that of the profoundly poor, I suppose, is that she has given up speaking, given up human contact, as well as physical comforts. How different, though, is that from the sort of isolation that many homeless people face? I don't know, but I do suspect that this woman might be able to provide some insight into the stresses posed by physical and emotional privation when she finally ends her project. I wonder if she will.