Titles:
1. St. Jans Vliet, Antwerpen, Belgium (Organism), March, 2006 (page 04 for closer look)
2. Rossio, Lisboa, Portugal (Passion), March, 2006 (page 05 for closer look)
3. Dundas Square, Toronto, Canada (Artist), March, 2006 (page 04 for closer look)
Medium: Chromira Art Prints, 92 x 18.4 in, printed in only one copy.
Artist Statement:
This work is part of a larger project called "Urban Squares". This project is to be a forum for free expression and exchange of ideas as a contribution to the process of improvements in urban life. By classifying and then analyzing the elements of a square, I slowly began to realize that we can treat cities as entities with collective intelligence and, with the same analogy, we can recognize a system by which the urban space communicates with us.
Architectural elements, signage systems, graffiti and many other forms of urban art follow each other in a continuous stream. They surround us and direct our movements. They are given to us in a form on which we, as individuals, have very little effect. Still, we are the only ones that can attempt to interpret them and use their messages to try to create more sustainable and habitable cities. The square, as a city's "heart and soul", has the most to say, so recently I concentrated my artistic exploration on the language of urban squares.
Thoughts of famous writers, architects and urban theorists are matched with photos of urban areas, encouraging awareness of the problems that plague our cities and their possible solutions. Individuals can make a difference, and people often participate in the process of urban development unknowingly.