My piece titled, "The City Never Sleeps," was accepted into the Michigan Annual at the Anton Art Center by juror George N'Namdi.
A quote by Lewis Mumford was an inspiration for this exploration:
[The city] is also a conscious work of art, and it holds within its communal framework many simpler and more personal forms of art. Mind takes form in the city, and in turn, urban forms condition mind.
I've been collecting rusty detritus for years and find each piece individually interesting and putting together random pieces of these found objects inspired the idea of urban life. Each piece reveals a part of the story, from the corrugated cardboard used for shelter by some less fortunate citizens to the remnant of a calculator keypad for those who need help counting their wealth.
A way to include the human element beyond a face or photograph of people is to visually represent how humans interact with the city environment. This interaction is depicted through graffiti-style wall markings and the built-up layers of torn event posters. A stray bottle cap from someone's thirst being quenched and a key that opened a door to refuge from the noise of traffic are all indications of the human presence within the city landscape.
I decided not to permanently bind the book and instead used ball chain to keep the pages together. I see this piece as fluid, the pages can be taken apart and reassembled into a new flow of imagery. Pages can be added or subtracted to incorporate new items and to discover new meanings.
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| City life is millions of people being lonesome together _ Henry David Thoreau |
