Project plans/mock-up

 

"Many artists and critics have argued that this need to move around and through the work activates the viewer... This activation is, moreover, regarded as emancipatory, since it is analogous to the viewers engagement in the world. A transitive relationship therefore comes to be implied between 'activated spectatorship' and active engagement in the socio-political arena." -Claire Bishop, Installation Art: A Critical History

The concept for my installation might be considered, according to Claire Bishop, "installation art that posits the activated viewer of installation art as a political subject". These particular politics would focus on the small-scale of our university campus, on issues that have gone unnoticed by the majority of campus for far too long. That is, the inaccessibility of a staggering number of buildings and spaces on campus. This work is site-specific in that it all the locations share the commonality of being doorways in need of a ramp. Of course, the lack of ramps is far from the only concern when it comes to making these spaces accessible, there are other needs such as push buttons and elevators, but at least for this mock-up I have attempted to narrow my focus to addressing solely ramps in a handful of areas. My idea is that the placement of the installation in doorways necessitates the activation of the viewer as they must walk through the work, making the work directly confrontational as it forces the then activated viewer to become aware of an issue they may have not previously considered.

Project Proposal

 My current main idea is not set in stone yet as I am still waiting on a response from all of the people I reached out to to ensure that it would actually be a helpful project. That said, I will share my current plans and if any of you have suggestions or relevant knowledge, please do let me know!

 A problem that I have become increasingly fed up with is the frankly pathetic lack of accessibility in so many buildings here on campus. Much of group housing, I-house, and even campus safety can only be entered by stairs, and even key spaces such as the Andrew Commons exit is barred by heavy doors with no automatic button (apparently in the latter case, despite numerous requests from athletics staff). And yet, many Lawrentians remain unaware of this. I hope to change that.

My project will be focusing on the theme of denying access to spaces. I want to create (fire-code compliant!) barriers in front of entrances to some or all of the buildings mentioned above, or whichever ones the LUDWiG board believes are good ideas and I can get permission for. I was inspired by those illusion drawings that were popular a couple years ago where people would draw realistic "holes" in the sidewalk; I thought I could do something similar in creating 2D illusions of chasms as symbolic barriers using charcoal, sidewalk chalk, or temporary paint. One of my friends on the LUDWiG board suggested I also do something involving the lack of automatic doors, but I am still trying to figure out how to creatively approach that.