Northside Crossing
Northside Crossing ia a temporary public art project commissioned by City of Asylum Pittsburgh to use language in innovative and creative ways to create connections in the community.
After receiving the commission I began walking through the neighborhood, taking it all in. On these walks I would inevitably engage in conversations with people sitting on their stoops, walking dogs, or just strolling through the neighborhood like me. After a few of these walks it became clear to me that the soul of the Northside neighborhood is found in its people.
This is when I decided to tell stories by Northside people for my project. I sat at the Farmers Market with a sign asking anyone to sit and talk with me. After finding a number of enthusiastic people to work with me, we developed their stories using body language, text, and the language of film.
When we think of language we think of speaking, but language is much more than just the words we speak. It is important for me to show all the other ways that we use language: how we write, what we write, the way we communicate with our eyes, the ways we use our body to create meaning or express control. By altering the speed of movement in the videos I am able to emphasize the simplest of actions, to add meaning to gestures.
The results of this process were exhibited with my other community participants, the hosts of the stories. The projected videos were seen from the sidewalks along the Allegheny Branch of the Carnegie Library, Allegheny City Market, and the former Garden Theater every night at sundown for two months in February and March, 2015.