11:02 AM: Thanks to Chi Krneta for the photos and report:
I saw this art display at the Statue of Liberty this morning on Alki. There are pens and stencils for people to leave comments on the artwork.
Chi wonders if anyone knows who created and placed this. Certainly not the first guerrilla art to show up at Statue of Liberty Plaza – but the first we’d heard of this.
1:44 PM: We’ve heard from the artist, Sarah Reitz, who explained via text that it’s part of her graduate thesis work.
4:41 PM: Thanks to Max Szyszkowski for this photo taken a few hours ago after more participation:
9:53 PM: Artist Sarah Reitz has just sent us more about her project:
I spent the day on Alki with the installation and have now moved it back to my studio (didn’t want it to be in the way of 5k activities tomorrow).
I’m a graduate student at the University of Washington studying visual communication and experience design in the School of Art + Art History + Design.
My graduate thesis (working title “Landmark”) focuses broadly on the area of participatory exhibit design. Through it, I’ve been exploring ways to make the visitor experience at memorials or monuments more interactive. I picked the Alki Statue of Liberty as a case study for my research several months ago, and since then I have conducted a series of smaller prototypes at the statue that ultimately informed the design of today’s installation. The prototypes helped me determine what material to work with, what prompt to ask, and how to make the interaction as welcoming as possible for park visitors.
The main questions I explored through my research are:
Do people value experiences that ask them to write, draw, or materially contribute information in an outdoor setting? If given the opportunity, would people participate?
Would the installation spark conversation? What types of responses would I receive and what types of interactions would I observe?
Most importantly, what kinds of things could I do as a designer to make participation intuitive, delightful, and meaningful?
ADDED 11 AM SUNDAY: The artist also tells us in response to our followup question that while she has no current plan to bring it back, she’s open to the idea, or to “donating it to any community group that might be interested.” It’s not available until late June, though – it’ll be on display with other students’ theses at the Henry Art Gallery June 3-25.
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