final paper
Dominique DeVito

800 words essay to introduce project/exhibition 

“Memories in Language” Wall

The concept of my project is quite a simple one. It stems from the location that my exhibition will take place. In Bensonhurst Brooklyn there are multiple communities of people living in close proximity. These people come from all different backgrounds and cultures and yet they barely know anything about each other. People are seen on trains, walking on sidewalks, at bus stops, the same people every day that pass by each other, but no one bothers to talk to one another at all since they are too involved in their smartphones and other devices. These devices promote social isolation further then cultural differences ever would. Despite being constantly connected, in reality we are all disconnected. I see this as a real problem. Everyone, but especially immigrants, have amazing stories about their past lives to tell and I think that is much more of a worthy conversation then anything posted on Facebook or Instagram. The true premise behind this concept was to find a way to get people to share their stories in one of the most diverse neighborhoods, and to come together as a community through language that is not seen behind a screen.

This project greatly relates to live in an urban environment. As previously stated, in large cities we can pass by the same people every day and yet never speak to them. In smaller, more community driven towns, this is a bit different. People know and can rely upon their neighbors. Growing up I always heard my relatives say that Brooklyn was once like that, and now it’s not. I have a suspicion that technology has been the deciding factor in this, and that our communication now takes place on devices rather than in face to face conversations. I chose to deal with language since that is the real force of communication between all people. Even if people can not understand another language they can still hear and see the words being written and spoken. I also chose to overlay my project on top of preciously written graffiti because I feel that the past cannot be erased (what this project focuses on is the past specifically). People get to share their memories, feelings, and emotions on top of what was already there. 

The beautiful thing about involvement with artists in this project is that the creators and artists will be the people of Bensonhurst. They will be selected of their own accord. There will be no specific people promoting this project at all times, but rather, people will come upon this question that has been placed on something the people of the neighborhood find to generally be an ugly space and they will decide to answer this question and turn it into something beautiful. The willingness of the community will be the deciding factor in how many artists or participants are involved with this project on a whole. 

The site will be the garages in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on 67th street near 16th avenue. This site is notorious in Bensonhurst for being “ugly” and an eye sore. It is hated by the community because of the offensive things that are graffitied on some of the garages, and the general unwanted tags that cover the spaces that people rent. Weather conditions may deter people from being on the street but it will have no real effect on the actual end result of the mural that will come out of this project. 

This project has no real effect on governmental structures. It does not pertain to publicly owned property. These garages are rented by private renters and all of them are owned by two people. However, they are still public spaces since the public will be seeing them every day when they pass by this bustling street and intersection. Regulations will pertain mostly in connection with the owner and renters who will give permission to write on their property. 

As a developmental plan I do not believe the timeline would be an extremely long period. Realistically I would first obtain permission form the renters and owner of these garages. I would also get in contact with the city and community council members to see if I would need any permits to proceed with this project besides the owners permission. Once this is obtained I would like to go out and purchase the necessary materials and then put up the question. Hopefully within a week people would be inspired to answer the question and share their memories from their home countries.

Truly, the only costs of my exhibition will be obtaining the permits if they are needed and the materials needed for people to write their memories. That is one of the most beautiful things about my project, it is something that requires little money and yet it will bring together an entire community of people.