abstract painting, mixed media, sculpture, video
public art
wishXchange is a public art piece that invites participants to think of what they would like to see happen in their lives, then write it down on a flag and plant it. The idea conveyed is that by expressing and planting this wish, they are taking the first step toward making it possible.
The first performance was done during the Valley Open Studio Stroll and Earth Festival, which took place in mid October in Orange, NJ. Passersby wrote their wishes and planted them in a shopping cart filled with soil and lined with grass sod. The resulting piece is permanently installed on the corner of Scotland Road and Freeman Street. A second installment of this project took place at the opening reception of the WAE (Wellness, Arts & Enrichment) Center in West Orange, NJ, in December. This time the project consists of two components. WAE members will created their own wish cards that were installed like prayer flags in the entrance to the Center. In addition, blank flags were available for the guests to write their wish and plant them.
As an artist I am interested in the process of asking people to come up with a wish on the spot and observing their facial expressions, how long it takes them to write something, and the dynamics between that person and anyone that may be with them. There are elements of nakedness, of self-conciousness, of hope, and of gratitude for being asked. A flag is a powerful symbol. It signals an important message, it demands attention. Planting it stakes a claim. The wishes range from serious to humorous to touching to goofy, and the resulting art piece is the work of everyone who participated.
wishXchange is a public art piece that invites participants to think of what they would like to see happen in their lives, then write it down on a flag and plant it. The idea conveyed is that by expressing and planting this wish, they are taking the first step toward making it possible.
The first performance was done during the Valley Open Studio Stroll and Earth Festival, which took place in mid October in Orange, NJ. Passersby wrote their wishes and planted them in a shopping cart filled with soil and lined with grass sod. The resulting piece is permanently installed on the corner of Scotland Road and Freeman Street. A second installment of this project took place at the opening reception of the WAE (Wellness, Arts & Enrichment) Center in West Orange, NJ, in December. This time the project consists of two components. WAE members will created their own wish cards that were installed like prayer flags in the entrance to the Center. In addition, blank flags were available for the guests to write their wish and plant them.
As an artist I am interested in the process of asking people to come up with a wish on the spot and observing their facial expressions, how long it takes them to write something, and the dynamics between that person and anyone that may be with them. There are elements of nakedness, of self-conciousness, of hope, and of gratitude for being asked. A flag is a powerful symbol. It signals an important message, it demands attention. Planting it stakes a claim. The wishes range from serious to humorous to touching to goofy, and the resulting art piece is the work of everyone who participated.
BELOW:
wishXchange 1
November 2010, Valley Arts Open Studio Stroll and Earth Festival
copyright vanOs 2010
BELOW:
wishXchange 2
December 2010, WAE Center Opening reception
copyright vanOs 2010
wishXchange 1
November 2010, Valley Arts Open Studio Stroll and Earth Festival
copyright vanOs 2010
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BELOW:
wishXchange 2
December 2010, WAE Center Opening reception
copyright vanOs 2010
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