Maraya Lopez and Arthur Polendo, Mulit-Media Installation

Proposal for Wall Street to Main Street

Artists: Maraya Lopez and Arthur Polendo

We request that our artwork, 2012 Space Transparency, be included in the upcoming art project, Wall Street to Main Street. The proposed artwork would ideally be housed in a large room with frontal windows. This work would be a multimedia, site-specific installation focusing on the central structure of a 15 by 10 foot translucent tent (floor area), which will house two seated figures (See figures 1 through 4). The ideal room floor area would be 21 feet by 16 feet. The minimum height of the ceiling would be 10 feet. Electricity would be necessary and although the tent structure is designed to be freestanding, the permissibility to place several small screws in the ceiling would be highly valued. A statement about the work would be placed on a wall of the interior space as well as on the front glass paneled window.

The tent will be closed except for two small openings for viewers to look into. Text of various colors associated with economic and social concerns will be silk-screened on the interior walls of the tent. Additionally, sound, light and video will be emitted from the interior of the tent. Some of the audio to be transmitted will include recorded sounds from the Catskill area along with other sources including musical instruments and crowds of human voices. The tent will be illuminated from the inside, creating a different experience as the daylight subsides. The installation would be visible from the outside the storefront window and the interior of the room. The window(s) would have an opaque covering in the daytime, except for a 6-inch tall opening across the width of the glass. This would aid in keeping the room interior dark in the daytime and would be removed at night for a fuller experience when viewed from the outside. The experience of the public would vary dependent on if viewed during the day or night, whether they view the piece from the interior or exterior of the building and whether or not they approach the openings of the tent wall, revealing the interior.

Upon looking within the interior of the tent, there will be a dichotomy between the printed text pointing out various issues and the two seated figures facing different continents of the world clasping colored threads. These threads connect to opposite walls within the interior of the tent demarcating a multiple of key cities and points of occupation throughout the world. Interior wall text, sound, light and various shadows and projected video imagery would also be visible when situated on the outside of the tent, as the walls are translucent. Sound on the exterior of the building via small mounted speakers provide individuals on the sidewalk with the audio from inside the tent along with the ambient sounds of Main Street.

2012 Space Transparency calls attention to social concerns previously addressed by various Occupy protests at locations throughout the globe, but by no means are these resolved issues. Like the Buddha who sits and meditates, the seated figures contemplate the anticipated actions to be taken in the immediate future. The tent is a metaphor for the myriad of issues that are housed in the present minds that previous and present occupiers face. This temporal artwork will provide an opportunity for viewers to raise their awareness of social issues while simultaneously engaging in a multi-sensorial aesthetic experience in a setting along side other art included in Wall Street to Main Street.

Figure 1. Illuminated Tent in Darkened Room Interior

Figure 2. Tent Interior Viewed Through Small Opening

Figure 3. Overhead Diagram View of Room Interior

Figure 4. Storefront Building Exterior