Beauty and Goodness

Public art and architecture share the same domain. They are a dance between adhering to the artist or architect’s personal intentions impulses, and inclinations, and fulfilling the needs of the community the work is being produced for. A balance between the artist/architect’s subjective sense of “beauty,” (lets call this aesthetic and conceptual ‘harmony’) and their understanding of “goodness” (lets say the communally understood aesthetic and conceptual ‘morality’ of the work) is difficult to reach. Often, the agenda of the artist/architect must submit to the communal good, or the community’s agenda must be sacrificed for the artist/architect to retain a sense of identity in their work.

Through my involvement with the 601 Tully project, I have reached a new connection with my community. As a student at Syracuse University, I feel there is a distinct separation between students studying and living here, and the others who inhabit the city. Classes like 601 really help to pull down these illusory walls that separate the University (which actually represents, along with the hospitals, the main revenue stream for the city) and the rest of Syracuse.

With this new sense of inclusion in my community, I find there is a new passion behind the work I produce. It is not just a masturbatory quest to satisfy my creative impulses, it has a communal purpose that reaches toward a greater goodness.

Butterfly House Project

As Industrial Design students we have started the ideation process for a Butterfly House at 601 Tully. We began with all sorts of very grounded tent structure ideas. We wanted a functioning space to remain after the butterflies were released and the tent portion was removed.

We moved on to more whimsical looking spaces in an attempt to create a fun experience for the kids that would be using this space.

In addition, we also considered some other interior elements that could be used by children.

We hope to see this project continued in the spring and summer of 2011.

Butterfly Group: Liz O'Neal, Steph Lewis, Ana Mihai, Jenna Goldblatt

Coffee Table

This is the coffee table I have been working on and just finished before the semester ended. It was made from all the left over scraps from the 8"x*8" pine we used for our benches. A lot of the wood had checks and knots so I tried to paint it in a way that would work with those.

Heres a view from under.
Here's a view of the connection detail of the legs to the talbe top.
A picture of Brian testing it out.

notes from artist-Mary Mattingly

Tyree Guyton Inspiration for a 601 Tully Garden

Tyree Guyton's start as an artist came with his creation of the Heidelberg Project (http://www.heidelberg.org/), a site in Detroit that cleaned up a neighborhood through the collection of trash and re-appropriation of that trash into a large scale art piece. The project has expanded since to include educational and youth programs, as well as being the site from which other community improvement projects are formed.

I propose that a similar process could be used at 601 Tully. By redistributing trash or unused materials from the neighborhood, the garden can be transformed into a space not only for landscape, but also as a space for an interactive sculpture garden created by the collected refuse. These pieces can be part of a process of bringing in local artists to teach neighborhood kids how create large scale sculptures. Part of the garden would be specifically devoted to the creation of the art pieces, while the rest could turn into a more tradition landscaped garden some of the sculptures scattered among it.

Visual vs. Physical Engagement of Community

In reference to the Bloomtown project presented by Tony, I was also very disappointed in its attempts to call itself a community engaging piece. The problem with it is that it is merely an “art piece,” it is a visually stimulating/engaging. What is different about the 601 Tully project is that while it aims to become a visual art piece in the community, it also adds a layer of physical engagement. Not only does it propose a community art space upon its completion, it interacts with the community on different levels with the community throughout its construction process (for example: the wall drawing and floor poems). In this way I agree with John’s categorization of 601 Tully as Kwon’s “Invented Community” because 601 Tully is process of community interactions/relationship,s rather than a static art piece that only attempts to visually stimulate its community.

A way in which a project such as the Bloomtown project could be furthered to be not only a visually, but also physically engaging project for the community like 601 Tully. To succeed in this an example proposal that could add that additional layer of engagement can be created creating a set of wire-frame furniture within the “flower plans” that could be used to grow food for the nearby residents. By incorporating an element, food, that is necessary and is actually lacking for the nearby residents, the Bloomtown project will find itself as both the visually and physical engaging project that makes 601 Tully a social art project.

Interestingly while we were in Detroit, we were also able to visit the Heidelberg Project by Tyree Guyton, the artist and inspiration I used for my proposed garden at 601 Tully. The Heidelberg Project is also a good example of a social art project that engages the community at a scale of community involvement that I believe 601 Tully is eventually aiming for in the Near West Side.

Outside the classroom I have a tendency not to engage with projects such as 601 Tully. In a way the reason I signed up for the course was to understand how to become involved using my skill sets, rather than relying on a title (such as those we discussed with text between the architect and artist) to define me to a specific role in such projects. I feel this class has opened up my understanding that there are opportunities to positively engage with the community and they are easier to become a part of than I thought before. I hope to become more community aware through my design processes.