I find that as an individual living in New York City, it is difficult to observe all the commotion that is going on around me. Often, I feel that if I stop to observe the moving city, I may get trampled in the bustle. However, the times that I do pause to reflect on the commotion around me, I realize that indeed, I am walking along through a motion picture at each given moment.
One area I pass through frequently is Washington Square Park. I have always noticed the large archway that stands in center of the park, yet I never took the time to understand what this art possibly could represent. I always had admired the arch for its beauty but never thought twice about it.
Recently, Ai Weiwei has placed his art in this public space, the Arch. I never understood what this arch within the monumental arch represented. Once I was given the link to his exhibition, I was granted the opportunity to learn about it. I finally understood a bit more about why Weiwei would place such an arch there. Weiwei speaks about how NYC’s population is immigrant rich. He explains how throughout his life, he frequently encountered fences, creating a barrier and a divide between him and his opposition. I find it fascinating how Weiwei placed this arch in order to allow the public to experience a similar dynamic, to be behind the fence and to be able to observe from the other side. I feel that Weiwei was trying to create an art experience where the interpretation is dependent about the awareness of the viewer. If one does not pay attention to these fences and divides (like myself at first), then he will pass through the Arch and simply be unaffected. However, if one wishes to pay attention to the steel bars before him, he may realize that the steel barriers are representative of some sort of experience.
Another one of Weiwei’s works I wished to explore was the cage that he placed in the entrance of Central Park. Once I had learned about the artist himself, I knew I would enter the Cage with the expectation to experience the Cage in a certain way.
As I walked through the Cage, I was shocked by the it’s glaring orange color. The color makes this cage impossible to miss. It’s as if Weiwei was sending the world a wakeup call, saying that we cannot ignore issues of human rights injustice. The orange color also reminded me of a prison suit straight jacket. This feeling of being exposed in the open yet trapped in your own cage was rather unsettling.
After walking around the Cage by the entrance to Central Park, I spotted one of Weiwei’s lamp post banners. I had heard that these banners were dispersed throughout the city and truthfully, I had been hoping to stumble upon one.
From a distance, this picture of the refugee was very clear and beautiful. I thought it was amazing how the artist was capable of capturing and creating such detail the metal punctured platform.
I walked around the lamp post in order to capture another angle. What I noticed was that, even from a distance the refugee would not become clear to me. I kept moving back thinking that from further away, the blur may fade, however, this was not the case. This made me consider that perhaps Weiwei was trying to convey this sense of being of “the other side of the fence”. When one just observes from his side of the fence, things may present themselves as simple, clear or perhaps even beautiful. However, if one is to cross over the threshold, a reality may be so warped or different and the simple beauty begins to fade…
The concept of Weiwei being able to display his art in public spaces made me appreciate how certain issues must be addressed to the public regardless of their presentation. Yet, to be able to capture an experience by using art as the medium was rather amazing. It was almost as if issues could be experienced rather than just acknowledged or learned about.
I feel passionately about climate change and environmental sustainability. I think a public art demonstration has the potential to impact tremendously. If people are faced with the issue they will have a difficult time ignoring it. I therefore considered a designated area with some sort of waste tower. However, all the waste featured would just be piles and piles of card board boxes. The boxes represent the constant amount of consumption we are capable of. Each item we order online comes in a shipping box. Food shipments and inventory for stores are delivered in boxes and boxes. All these packaging gives proof to our constant consumption. I think this cardboard tower will have people thinking about how much they consume and perhaps cutting back at least one purchase a week. I hope for this public art experience to not only be unique and captivating but informative and insightful.
