“The Same For Everyone” by Nathan Coley

Credit: studionathancoley.com

Scottish contemporary artist Nathan Coley is known for placing large texts in public spaces, conveying all sorts of messages. In 2017 he erected 10 illuminated signs throughout central Denmark with the words “THE SAME FOR EVERYONE.” The signs were of particular note because the lights used were the same style as you’d see at a casino or carnival. The message was meant to honor Danish values (democracy, diversity, etc.), but the message can be easily applied to everyone’s common fate: death.

The “fairy light attractions” received funding from a foundation as part of a nationwide art project in Denmark that year called Coast to Coast. Most of the art used during that initiative incorporated the surrounding environs. And Coley’s signs certainly did. Some images in particular give off a somber mood, with fog meandering throughout and heavily-clouded skies offering a foreboding aesthetic.

Credit: studionathancoley.com

“The Same For Everyone” is a purposefully enigmatic statement. Coley’s initial intent was for passersby to reflect on equality, and certainly we are all equal when it comes to our ultimate end. He did not erect a sign at a cemetery or funeral home. But if we imagine one of the scaffolds standing adjacent to one or the other of those locales, the message would be quite clear.

Thinking about those words (the same for everyone) in the realm of death and dying is a melancholic pursuit. But it is very poignant. And perhaps the most unsettling (albeit entirely true) aspect of it all is that we never know when that will happen. Anyone can die at any time, and it’s beneficial to contemplate that possibility occasionally.

Death waits for nobody, a truth people tend to forget in everyday life. Only after a loved one dies, horrific tragedies occur, or someone famous passes away do many of us contemplate our own mortality. A message like “The Same For Everyone” can jump-start our thought processes and help us think about the reality of death. 

Contrast in Style and Message

The style of text and illumination Nathan Coley employed for “The Same For Everyone” series is of particular interest. The signs really do resemble those of old-time carnivals and present-day casinos or amusement parks.

The juxtaposition of carnival lights to the idea that we all meet a similar fate is an interesting thought. The lives we lead are often unpredictable. Unexpected things happen randomly on the street. You might see an ambulance with sirens-blazing whiz by while you stand next to a dog-walker handling seven pooches at once. Maybe a young lad on a unicycle passes you on the sidewalk. Sometimes life seems like a circus playing-out before us.

Credit: studionathancoley.com

Everyone’s life progresses differently, but every living thing on this planet has death in common. The same for everyone (and everything). Perhaps that certainty could be the realization someone needs to begin a project they’ve delayed starting. Maybe someone who is unreasonably irritable sees that message and realizes they’ve been acting foolish, and that their problems in the moment aren’t all that terrible. If the message “The Same for Everyone” could help people realize the humanity within us all, perhaps there would be less animosity and contempt in the world.

One major purpose of art is to make us think. Many people associate art with colorful paintings or beautiful sculptures, which of course can be true. But not all art needs to be something you can hang on a museum wall. It’s the message that makes a work of art significant. And sometimes, it’s “the same for everyone.”