Temporary intervention in Chinatown SF. Laminated photos sewn and glued onto water resistant fabric,, 16” x 7‘. Photos are by participants in a series of Sense of Place Photography workshops that I facilitated via Skillshare in Chinatown SF in the Spring and Fall of 2012. This intervention uses the banner form which is common in Chinatown, and the images are placed vertically on the banner to refer to Chinese characters.
This work is the first as part of the emblematic series, and is based on a series of workshops that I led in Chinatown. These flags and banners refer to ‘sense of place’ aspects within a location.
The flags/banners are created from photos/found materials that are gathered during senseofplace LAB photography workshops. A ‘Sense of Place’ is based on many things. During these workshops, participants will be looking closely at many aspects of place and how they are important to the photographic process. I will lead a tour [an organized drift/dérive] through a ‘place’ in order to heighten a relationship to it. Participants will then be able to take photos on their own, to be followed by an in-depth conversation about the photographic process.
The images taken, and the fabric, paper and other materials found in these areas are then organized and sewn into flags/ banners, and then installed back into the community as temporary art interventions. The flag are placed in a location in public space, and will deteriorate as an organic aspect of the project. The act of waving flags and banners articulates a feeling of pride and alignment with the message being articulated on the flag/banners – in the case of PrideinPlace flags, that message is that each community has unique and valuable qualities worthy of being proud of. Other versions will use laminated photos so the degeneration process will take longer, but still be an aspect of the project.