Focus on what goes unnoticed...Follow the map, find the spot on...
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Taking on the characteristics of a walking tour through dumbo, MAP: spot onÉ leads you around the neighborhood not to visit historic landmarks, but to spot unremarkable architectural details that are no less compelling. A storefront design of household wares, the reflection of a blue neon sign in a building lobby, the shiny underbelly of the Manhattan Bridge overpass, the brass key pad in an old warehouse elevator. You are invited to revisit what you see on a daily basis, but not in the way you normally see them. The objective is to challenge the viewer to reconsider their surroundings, regard location as character, and to become an active participant who is integral to the outcome of this project. As you follow the map to the next location, this project encourages you to focus on the small detail that would otherwise go unnoticed, but is no less remarkable to experience. Moving from spot to spot the tour becomes a walking meditation as you get caught up in the gesture of the small detail.
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MAP: spot onÉ is a smaller version of a project in development for a larger urban footprint that will be applied to a city like Manhattan, highlighting overlooked architectural details within historic landmarks like the Chrysler Building, the Guggenheim Museum and Grand Central Terminal.
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The idea for this site-specific installation came from a small figurine, an approximately 3 inch tall Barbie-like bust, tucked into a building cornice on the southeast corner of 14th street and 7th avenue. It was a very small thing and remained there for many years until one day it finally disappeared, as things often do in a busy city. It reminded me of a figurehead on an old ship, carved to look like a busty mermaid. Perhaps someone attached it there to decorate an otherwise beige and uninteresting corner. I like to think it was placed there during a parade or a moment of reverie. I think it's smallness allowed it to remain untouched for as along as it remained there. Whatever the reason, I always looked for it when I walked by. I liked finding it still there, as if it were an architectural secret.
MAP: spot on... site-specific installation for the 11th annual Art Under the Bridge Festival d.u.m.b.o arts center . Brooklyn NY