As many others, when I think of Coney
Island I associate the urban setting with its well known attractions but also
as an area that was progressively become more decrepit as the years went on. The
Dreamland Artist Club (created in 2004) addressed this problem in doing so,
used their initiative to revitalize Coney Island with immersive and vivid
typography. I found the results to be mystical, enchanting and charming in both
their narrative context and color. They truly transformed Coney Island into an
unbelievable Fun Land . I feel that sometimes the intention of a project can be
as simple as an artist connecting with a community, having fun and creating
something wonderful. This project is a great example of that. The hand painted
signage mirrored the spirit of the environment and the contemporary reinvention of the facades gave
the space a fun and exciting energy. As Steve Powers, a Parsons teacher and
artist affiliated with the project said, “If the signs make the place more
crazy, that’s the artist doing their job.” The multiple artists involved each
gave their own unique interpretation of the borough and its energy. As an
illustrator and designer, I’ve always been interested in the art of typography as
a means of communication. In two years
over fifty artists worked on this project and used typography as a means to revamp this historic neighborhood and gave
it’s already rich visual culture a new life.
Pg. 108- Shimon Attie’s site specific
work, Between Dreams and History explored
the history of Lower East Side and tuned out to be a powerful example of an
artist generating a moving and personal connection with the community. I always
find it incredibly inspiring when an artist is capable of turning a broad idea
into such a deep and personal connection with the community. Initially, the
artist simply conducted interviews with residents of the area ad then projected
their words on buildings in the neighborhood. The project exceled in that it
told the stories, dreams, aspirations and fears of a community. The laser
lights projected text from recording of various residents and in turn visually illuminated
their memories or current struggles both internally and externally. This made
for an opportunity involving profound connections and a collection of deep
personal memories in the public realm, otherwise referred to in the book as “communal
poetry” In using the text on particular buildings such as The first Roumanian-American
Congregation, the artist also generated public awareness of its situation-being
that this beautiful marvel of architecture, a 150 year old building was never
given landmark projection and was demolished In March of 2016. Without the
project, little notice would’ve been given to the demolition, however this
gesture made by the artist inherently brought light to the situation and to those who were deeply affected. The stories of
the residents were both uplifting and moving and I thought conveyed an incredibly
powerful message in that the cities will come and go, we will leave our homes
and our loved ones many leave us. All we have to share are our stories and our
souls.
1-900-ALL KAREN was undoubtedly a
provocative attempt to get recognition and start a dialogue-even if it was one
sided. Karen Finley’s lawsuit against the National Endowment for the Arts
prompted a more involved and generalized dialogue with the artist. The recorded
telephone commentary ranged as the artist talked about many facets of her personal
life and those who were interested could call in and listen. Evidently, the
project was “inspired by America’s fascination with the telephone as a personal
yet anonymous outlet for information and companionship.” The artist then
inherently used the hotline as a vehicle to connect with a national audience.
Needless to say, many years later the
country is still enveloped in the new ways in which we can explore technology
and constantly pushes the boundaries of what technology can do for us but also
how it inherently changes us. The topic is still as prominent then as it is now
although the circumstances have invariably changed. Anonymity is still relevant
of course but takes many forms. The unloading of ones freedoms in a cyber realm
is not always beneficial and is usually utilized as a type of cathartic
exercise which I would consider an interest in exploring further. At that time
America saw the telephone as an outlet for connecting and companionship,
however now I feel that most Americans would agree that technology is often
synonymous with isolation. 
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