Love Pavilion
Frieda4Generations
Storefront and Window Covering Installation
Philadelphia, PA
Is there a name?
Love Pavilion,
I am changing Frieda for the month of February into the Love Pavilion, a place of intergenerational love, companionship, and togetherness.
What is the symbolism of the different animals?
“I think you were beginning to talk about animals representing different ages of stages in life, but then we were interrupted.”
I imagine my installation as intergenerational in that the monkey represents the first twenty (1-20) years of love, the bull is our twenties to forties (20-40’s), the cat our forties to sixties (40-60’s), and the peafowl our sixties into becoming a centurion (60-100’s). I imagine that the love we share exists within and across these different versions (from past histories or memories) of ourselves as one body across generations. I like imagining our body as a pavilion of these experiences, which I draw into these images with the purpose of seeing and extending my current age across generations, and sharing with others in comfort and in the fulfillment of ourselves.
Would you mind sharing the materials that you used? Was it acetate, mylar, or something else?
I start with creating a traditional ink drawing and, through a process of scanning, printing, and copying, transfer the image to acetate films to make the final work. There are one hundred and twenty unique and individual films for participants to color independently in a series of shared color days. During these color days, we (Frieda and I) will invite visitors to share in coloring the space, asking the young, the old, and all the different people who make up Frieda to work together. In the end, we will install all of the film colorings and unveil the complete image on the large front window.
Any plans for future use of the image?
The originals, prints, and films will be available for purchase as special-edition collectibles, only through Frieda. Frieda has been so welcoming of me upon my arrival in Philadelphia that I want to share the profits from the purchases with Frieda for Generations to support future participatory art and design projects.
In the long term, I see myself growing with my new Frieda family and look forward to creative practices with them through a series of exercises focusing on empathic imagination. I imagine that my work as Participation+ (plus) is a bridge within Frieda, helping guests participate in the livelihood of the cafe. These works are about being beyond an audience, into works about our shared feelings, and this is what I see myself bringing to Frieda through art that transforms our private feelings in public spaces.