the bags installed in front of Bloomingdale's, Soho, New York City.
alternative setup: printed bag and light source with blow sensor.
Urban1: Shopping-Bags on the Green Line
video documentation
Using existing structures of the city to make new things happen.
Concept 1:
1. Walk along the Green Line in Manhattan (going from the 1st to the 125th street, from the Financial Disctrict, through China Town, Midtown, Spanish Harlem, Harlem).
2. Collect bags from the stores, which are situated in the street above the subway tracks. These should be representative of their specific neighbourhood.
3. Install 7 shopping bags, representative of the Neighbourhoods which are crossed by the line, above the subway's air shaft (ideally the combinations of these bags should tell a story already).
4. Once the train passes by the bags are pushed into the air by the air flowing through the tunnel and the air shafts, forming an ephemeral sculpture, making the existing forces visible and at the same time visualizing the Green Line in a regional social economic way.
This concept was realized by 90% as I was too optimistic about the weight of the plastic bags - it was impossible to have a readable installation even though many bags had been collected.
Concept 2:
1. Installing only one plastic bag.
2. This bag is printed for this installation, so the print would be upside down if the bag was used normally.
3. A light source connected to a sensor is installed exactly beneath the bag. If air is flowing up the light turns on and illuminates the sudden three dimensional appearance.
Concept 3:
Use the grid structure to create an ephemeral, large scale three dimensional sculpture. maybe another material and technique would be used for this...
Using existing structures of the city to make new things happen.
Concept 1:
1. Walk along the Green Line in Manhattan (going from the 1st to the 125th street, from the Financial Disctrict, through China Town, Midtown, Spanish Harlem, Harlem).
2. Collect bags from the stores, which are situated in the street above the subway tracks. These should be representative of their specific neighbourhood.
3. Install 7 shopping bags, representative of the Neighbourhoods which are crossed by the line, above the subway's air shaft (ideally the combinations of these bags should tell a story already).
4. Once the train passes by the bags are pushed into the air by the air flowing through the tunnel and the air shafts, forming an ephemeral sculpture, making the existing forces visible and at the same time visualizing the Green Line in a regional social economic way.
This concept was realized by 90% as I was too optimistic about the weight of the plastic bags - it was impossible to have a readable installation even though many bags had been collected.
Concept 2:
1. Installing only one plastic bag.
2. This bag is printed for this installation, so the print would be upside down if the bag was used normally.
3. A light source connected to a sensor is installed exactly beneath the bag. If air is flowing up the light turns on and illuminates the sudden three dimensional appearance.
Concept 3:
Use the grid structure to create an ephemeral, large scale three dimensional sculpture. maybe another material and technique would be used for this...