On Friday, as part of the Kulturforum: Urbanität, Mobilität, Freiheit (Urbanism, Mobility, Freedom) Michelle gave a talk titled Points of View.
If you think for a moment about your family home, the place you ‘grew up’, you will be able to recall details that may be invisible to the casual visitor. Most likely you will have an understanding of the city, town or countryside that took time to develop. On the other side of the coin, as tourists or visitors, we look at places with fresh eyes, things that may go unnoticed by the locals may be very special to us. Sometimes, it is knowledge that changes how we understand and experience a place. A landmark that calls attention to an important event, for example Sept 11th, can cause us to ‘see’ the land itself much differently and may evoke intense memories or emotions.
The geography or national resources of a place in return can also shape people’s lives.. what work they may do, what they may eat, and how they may live day to day. And we in turn make it our own—we dig it, map it, and even curate our own movements through it with traffic signs, scenic routes and roads.It is certainly a person’s particular point of view that shapes how they understand, use and experience the land they are standing on. It is influenced by time, personal and collective experience, and of course the nature of the land itself.
Our work, is interested in these individual points of view. We look for ways in our projects to encourage the viewer to join in and share their perspective. Underlying our work is a deep conviction that art that engages, that listens, and that is inclusive can produce new understandings of our relationships with each other and with the land we live on.
See the schedule and the others who presented : Schedule