"Shantytown Arbor" (permanent working title)

This piece was an idea I began to explore near the end of last year in Alison McNulty's class. I created a bench (of sorts) and installed it in a secluded corner of a lot just across Mill Creek from the art building. Though its meaning and purpose were largely a product of my intensive

reading of Walden by H. D. Thoreau, the overall goal of the piece was to create an interesting object and space—one that would attract attention while simultaneously remaining secluded enough to offer privacy for quiet contemplation.

The bench was large enough to accommodate only one person at a time (or perhaps a pair of intimate friends). I constructed it from scavenged wood and metal and included holders for markers, pens and crayons for passersby to contribute their reflections and, slowly but surely, bestow the piece with a new meaning, both personal and collective. I added a few of my own thoughts to get the ball rolling and returned frequently to see the new contributions. It was an exciting experiment, but unexpectedly brief; it only lasted about three weeks before it was destroyed. Alison was kind enough to take some pictures before returning it to the scrapyard whence many of the materials came to begin with. If you're interested, check them out on my website.

This year I hope to continue working with this idea, to collaborate, to create anonymous pieces for public spaces, and to make them strong enough to bear the weight of our overburdened collective emotional domain.