In Color
On Maintaining Equilibrium and Confronting Socio-Economic Issues as an Artist
In May 2018, I was honored with the opportunity to design an art installation for Anjunadeep Open Air: Austin 2018, thanks to the support of Almost Real Things (ART), a local non-profit based in Austin, TX. The festival, hosted by the London-based independent record label Anjunadeep, was scheduled for June 09, 2018, at Carson Creek Ranch in South Austin. ART, acting as one of the sponsors, reached out to me to create an interactive installation for the event. The details of my proposal are outlined below:
Project Proposal for Anjunadeep Open Air (Austin)
Title: In Color
Type of Project: Art Installation
Artist: M Lee
Project Date: June 09, 2018
Project Description: In Color is a sculptural sensory tunnel that both inhibits and expands human senses, offering a visceral experience of the duality present in human nature. Acting as a mediator between binary structures such as man-made and natural, dark and light, monochromatic and polychromatic, past and present, In Color provides an interactive form of spiritual and creative expression rooted in us all. Participants are invited to engage with the installation through movement, noises, and physical contact, becoming part of the transient performance created by the interplay of light (natural and artificial) and shadow.
Regrettably, the funding for the project fell through, preventing the realization of this particular installation. A few months later, ART approached me again to design a permanent art installation for their debut ART Club Block Party: Art & Music Showcase on December 01, 2018. This event marked their first official collaboration with Austin Creative Alliance (ACA), a non-profit Arts Organization within the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin. ART committed full financial sponsorship for my installation and provided complete freedom in the design process.
Given these limitless parameters, I delved back into the design process, researching the culture of the South Austin/Riverside community, historically known for housing the working class and people of color. After communicating with residents and attending meetings, I discovered localized resistance against ACA's ventures in the Riverside area. This resistance stemmed from ACA colluding with large developers aiming to use an Arts District as a facade for their gentrification plans. Troubled by these details, I faced a dilemma: should I proceed with the installation, redesigning it to empower the working class, or should I join the Riverside Arts District Boycott and stand with the community? Below are the details of the redesigns (Part I & II):
Project Proposal for Almost Real Things — Riverside Festival
Title: In Color
Type of Project: Art Installation
Artist: M Lee
Project Date: December 01, 2018
Project Description: In Color is a sculptural sensory installation that explores the nature of dualistic realities, juxtaposing light and dark, visual with tactile, visceral with intellectual. The installation invites meditation on intersectionality and its presence in everyday life – the continuous meshing of diverse forces shaping our experience of reality and its cascading effects on our cultural identity.
Ultimately, due to ethical concerns, I could no longer proceed with the project and chose to join the boycott against the exploitative gentrification processes of ACA in the Riverside Arts District. In the end, as artists and long-term residents of Austin, we must stand up for ourselves and our communities, recognizing that people are at the core of what we have.