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The industrial building form, which typifies the structures forming the context for this installation, reflects the aspiration of a society and its desire for mass commerce and efficiency. These buildings, in their present state of decay, illustrate the products of a society which too readily discards its "spent" materials. On the one hand, we dream of a vital city, and on the other, we neglect opportunities to realize this dream. Politicians speak of improving the city while placing prisons and halfway houses at its core. The media promotes civic awareness while perpetuating the myth that the "inner city" is unlivable. The materials with which to realize our dreams are all around us.
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Detail
Barrels, mailboxes-
Phase 1 |
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This installation was conceived, not as a literal object, but as a metaphor of the organic transformation of life. In the first phase, a series of oil drums in which weeds are growing, each supporting a residential mailbox with its flag down and its door ajar, occupy the foundation of a destroyed building. On the adjacent abandoned structure is a digital graphic depiction of the stereotypes which perpetuate our neglect of this environment.
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Stereotypes
Digital Billboard-Phase 1
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In the second phase, with the advent of spring, this scene is transformed. The "weeds" in the barrels are actually wildflowers. The doors on the mailboxes close and the flags go up, signifying that there is life there. The image displayed on the old warehouse depicts a vital community willing to deal with the root causes of social ills. We can transform our lives.
Jack Stenner , 1996 |
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Flowers
Digital Billboard-Phase 2
120" x 168" x 3" |