These first three images are of the streetlight shadow I outlined by PF Chang's China Bistro on 15th. You may notice that by the time I photographed the work, the shadow had already shifted from its initial position towards the top of the pole. Several passers-by commented to each other, but not to me, about the work. One woman said, "Look at that guy," which her friend did, but I didn't overhear the response because they had crossed the intersection by that time.
This bike shadow outline received the most feedback from viewers. A couple stopped to watch - a woman on a bike, and a man on foot who looked at me suspiciously. Once I had finished drawing the outline and stood up, the man came over and said he had wondered what "that guy" was doing by his bike. I apologized if it had caused him any inconvenience or delayed his exit (which immediately followed), but he seemed to like the project once he realized I wasn't stealing his bike or vandalizing it. Several other people stopped to watch as well, or slowed down while passing to see what was going on, and one of the children they had with them seemed very interested.
These two images are from an incomplete outline I did across the street from the downtown Tattered Cover. I chose it for the multiple objects casting shadows, and the narrow, yet busy, sidewalk that would make interaction with the public more likely. I got some suspicious looks (there was even a Homeland Security marked police hummer across the street watching me briefly) and I had to move out of people's way constantly. Unfortunately, the sun went behind a cloud partway through the drawing, and it was impossible to complete as the shadows blurred out.
Overall, today was more successful than yesterday. I like the premise of outlining litter similar to corpses at crime scenes better than this shadow project, but the more labor-intensive, and thus lengthier, process allowed me to interact with people more.
1 comment:
I like the idea of the shadow project better. The litter leaves room for social commentary or whatever: refuse as the physical manifestation of the decay and wasting (read: nihilism) that is an integral part of our culture. Which could be cool (even if it's not at all what you're intending), but it's just not super exciting to me.
I like the shadow project because the (relative) permanence of the outline highlights the temporal nature of the shadow. If you pick up the litter, the thing that corresponds to the outline still exists. Once the light/shadow-making object have been moved, the outline is the only evidence that it was there.
I do, however, think the trash is cuter.
Post a Comment