We Will Imagine
Public Art Installation
Project Overview
We Will Imagine was a collaboration between goodgood (Karen Stein + Ben Gaydos), Matthew Shanley and Namita Dharia.
The installation—comprised of multi-colored fluorescent tape woven into the A Street Fence near Melcher Street and covering the Summer Street Bridge over A Street— was on display from October 15th until November 20th, 2010.
“We will imagine” was meant to call attention to the creative force that exists in the Fort Point. It was meant to remind everyone—artists, residents, passers-by—of their own agency in the world we live in; to remind them of their own power to effect change. This change starts with the possibility of seeing what is and what could be.
This work was a dialogue. A question called out from one side is answered by the other. But we hoped that there is another level of dialog as well. We were thinking deeply about our neighborhood and community, and hope that this display invokes discussion amongst viewers on these issues.
One could approach the two parts of the installation from several different directions along A Street, because it was both on the bridge as well as the fence, but was best viewed approaching the bridge coming from Broadway towards the Fort Point. The intention was that Part I and Part II of the installation would work separately, but are best read together as a question and answer: “Who will imagine the future of all this? We will imagine.”
Because of the bright fluorescent materials used, the piece was visibile both during the day and at night. Particularly with the installation on the fence—because the material is transparent—the installation had a luminescent quality as the sun shone through. As night fell, because of the fluorescence, the colors were magical. In large part, the work was material color. The brightness of the tape enlivened the urban surface. The material of the site led directly to the form of the installation. The shape of the letter forms woven into the A Street fence are defined by the pattern of chain link.
goodgood is a collaborative design studio in Boston creating art and design in and around the city. goodgood is interested in engaging communities through art and design. We try to find ways of using language and typography to pose questions and encourage discourse in our visual landscape. Matthew Shanley is a multimedia artist whose range of practice includes sound, installation, internet art, generative computer projects, video, and print.
The Fort Point Arts Community applied for and received funding for the public art series from The Fund for The Arts, a public program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible by generous support from anonymous donors. Without this, the installation would not have been possible.
LOCATION: Boston, MASERVICES: Design, Environmental, Public Art, Space, Typography
CREDITSPROJECT TEAM
Karen Stein
Ben Gaydos
COLLABORATORS
Matthew Shanley
Namita Dharia