LORENA PEREZ VILLERS
UNION SQUARE 7.3.I3 II00
TIMELAPSE 2013 Lorena Perez Villers, Katie Harwood, Denise Silver
The magic of a public space rests in its ability to reinvent itself through time. This project originated from the desire to make simple gestures that might transform the public square in surprising ways.
When visiting Union Square we observed a pattern. This square is used largely for the purpose of transition. People do not interact with one another when walking through the space. We wondered if we could collectively make a simple gesture that might create a disruption in the pattern. Could we get people stop and engage with one another spontaneously?
On July 3rd, 2013, a group of us joined together and collaborated on covering Union Square with brightly color flag tape. It was a transformative experience for all of us and for the public space. We successfully disrupted the pattern for a short time.
UNION SQUARE 7.3.I3 II00
IN ACTION 2013
.
UNION SQUARE 7.3.I3 II00
Documentation 2013
Video Tuan Mami, Kedar Lawrence, Linsey Wallace, Elizabeth Ajtay
Editing Kedar Lawrence
Collaborators Mika Boyd, Raquel Torres-Arzola, Angela Brown, Sydney Brown, Sergio Felgueres, Bari Fleisher, Jay Scantling, Jessica Myers, Anna Rose, Janine Williams
MissSillas 2013
I have been doing this project in different cities since 2013. It first began in San Francisco and has expanded to New York and Berlin as well. This project came about because of the desire to create simple things that could have action in public spaces. It is about being aware of what is around us and how, by making a simple gesture, we can change our environment. At first, I look for fences at a 90 degree angle towards the city in order to create a chair using the fence as a structure, onto which raffia is weaved. The raffia goes back and forth creating some kind of sculpture that becomes a chair as soon as some curious observer realizes its use. It is all about recovering unused spaces around the city. These corners often become garbage dumps, places where unpleasant encounters take place or simply useless.
FOLLOW @MissSillas