Megan's FREE SPACE installation was a success! In conjunction with her thesis, the concept of utilizing "free space" was illustrated with her example of various opportunities along C street in San Diego. Selecting vignettes of possibility in bus shelters, light posts, curbs and sidewalk alcoves, she suggests temporary business sites, skate parks, resting places and ipod docks. Sites for temporary drive in theatres, edible urban gardens, voting stations, and much more. The layout of each FREE SPACE was organized in a linear display that clearly identified the range of possibility within so many structures that are overlooked and underused everyday.
A street level video takes you through the entire 17 blocks in around 3 minutes.
(Her use of electric pink duct tape thrilled me! Where can I get some? I want to use it on everything...)
The furniture pieces stored loads of information about shared space events all over the world.
I loved a table explaining PARK(ing) Day, an annual one-day global event where everyone is encouraged to independently, yet simultaneously, transform metered parking spaces into (temporary) mini parks. This event started in San Francisco in 2005 by a bunch of artists from Rebar. It was originally devised as a creative exploration of how public space is used, and according to their website, cities like San Francisco allow less than 30% of the public space for non-vehicle use. Paying the meter of a parking space allows one to lease prime urban real estate for a day!
Here's a video explaining more...
Mark your calendars:
Megan will lead a walking tour of the neighborhood Saturday June 5th from 2-3pm, starting at Art Produce Gallery.
PARK(ing) Day is September 17th, 2010.
