ART / Vanishing JOBS
LOCATION
This project took place in an old industrial area in Brooklyn. The neighborhood was given the acronym DUMBO in 1978 (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), thinking that the unattractive name would deter developers (thank you Wikipedia). It became a booming artist's community in the late 1970's and by the end of the 20th century, as property became more expensive in Manhattan, DUMBO became increasingly gentrified. It now has an interesting dynamic of artist's spaces and luxury residential condos.
PROJECT
The project is made up of 50 unique "ghost prints" that each represent one of the 50 states in the USA, with up to date statistics of that state's unemployment rate printed at the bottom. The image is of the Employment Guide newspaper containers found all over New York City.
The found "gallery wall" was a garage door of a local lighting business. The prints were hung in a grid using powerful magnets.
The prints are hand silkscreened on Stonehenge 100% cotton paper and are 15x22. I hand stamped the data (states and numbers) during the course of the day while engaging in dialogue with passerby's.
As an artist, who is currently on the unemployment list, I have created this project (this JOB) for myself. Proactive waiting.
Ideally I'd love to reinstall this piece in a public window or gallery space. Suggestions welcome.
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