So Far... Dominique DeVito

Brooklyn
Language Wall

Dominique DeVito

Theme: social anxiety

(performance)

Group mission statement: Our overall mission is reflecting the fear of people interacting in this day and age through multiple performance
pieces held throughout the city. We live in a time where people are connected 24/7 online via smartphones, computers, and tablets. The
connection of a simple face-to-face conversation is rapidly disappearing. Social anxiety over simple conversations is something that many people face. This is a new problem. The four of us will attempt to tackle this problem via four different
performance art pieces. The performances will be meant to encourage the public to step away from their smartphones, interact with the art, and most importantly, each other. 

Concept-

In Bensonhurst, Brooklyn there is a wonderful mix of cultures. It is a kind of central hub for all of the surrounding areas that have more divided communities. As part of the theme “confronting social anxiety” I want to encourage the public to interact with people they have never met before. These are people you may pass by every day, people that live in your neighborhood, maybe even on your block, but since we are so consumed in our smart phones and other technology it prevents us from actually getting to know these people. I’m sure many people have had the experience of running into the same people on the subway or at a bus station daily and yet they know nothing about each other.  

For my project I would like to create a Memory Wall. Something that almost everyone in Brooklyn (and New York in general) has in common is immigrating from another place. Whether its you, your parents or grandparents, its very rare to be more than third generation American in many places in Brooklyn. This is especially true in Bensonhurst and its surrounding areas. I would like to have a huge wall, and written on it would be “What is one memory you have from where you first lived?”, it would be written in different languages. This is open enough that it doesn’t only pertain to immigrants, since mostly everyone has moved at least once in their life. Spray paint and chalk would be provided, and people would be encouraged to write phrases, names, quotes and memories from their past. The end result, hopefully, would be all different people interacting and sharing their stories with one another, as they write them on the wall. 

Related Projects:

-before I die

-“I’ve lived in a 1 bedroom apartment in brooklyn for 2 years and it costs 2,000 a month”

Tumblr 

account for
documenting (with comments allowed)

County: Kings 

Community Board 11, 

Bath Beach, Gravesend, Mapleton, and Bensonhurst, 

Brooklyn Community Board 11 2214 Bath Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11214, 

Phone: 718-266-8800, Email: info@brooklyncb11.org, 

Chair: William Guarinello, District Manager: Marnee Elias-Pavia, 

Board Meeting: Second Thursday, 7:30pm, Cabinet Meeting: Per agenda, 

Precinct(s):62, Precinct Phone(s): 718-236-2611

City Council: 

VINCENT J. GENTILE, 

District 43 - Council Member - Democrat, 

Chair - Committee on Oversight and Investigations, 

Entered City Council: March 2003, 

Represents: Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights

Location: 

garages on 67th st between 16th and new Utrecht

(Graffiti Overlap)

Michael C Maffai & Lisa Ammirabile own
nearly all of the garages and people rent them

https://youtu.be/lncGrlQr2Og

Radicant quote that relates to my project:

“The time seems ripe to reconstruct the modern for the present moment, to reconfigure it for the specific context in which we are living.” 

This quote greatly relates to my project since it is about taking the past and revamping it with other peoples memories and feelings. These are things people carry with them each day and it will be a forum for them to express this among other parts of history. 

materials : spray paint & question

possible participants : albertus joseph

selection/participation criteria : strong family ties and graffiti background

developed budget : 500$

public approval process plan : aquire permits, and permission from owners of garrages

draft of what one would present to potential participants in the project : question; what is one memory from your first home?

marketing and promotion plan : tumblr page spread on social media

How will you know if you have been successful in realizing your project? : if the wall is filled with memories

What are your desired outcomes? : to have no space left on the garages

generates product? : final product is the covered garages

can it be replicated under different circumstances? : yes

What is its reach into communities and what does that look like? : combined memories in graffiti

How will this project be funded? : personal money

What is the timetable it will require? : one month (preferrably June)

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.