02/21 - 04/03/2024
open Source is an adaptive model that references and critiques the minimalist sculptures of Carl Andre and Donald Judd, as well as the architecture of NYC public housing. It transforms these aesthetic forms into relational objects that can serve various communities. The model fosters the development of collaborative connections and the exchange and transmission of knowledge outside of traditional institutions, creating a commons where people can gather, learn, discuss, and respond to contemporary issues. The project originated as a direct response to censorship, local and national budget cuts to education, library closures, and book bans. As education continues to be defunded and vital systems and structures collapse around us, how can we leverage this collapse to reclaim and repurpose these structures and forms to rebuild in a way that benefits us and those most impacted?
The project features collapsible wooden sculptures that can be reassembled in any environment, encouraging people to share and respond to various practices and resources by carving and imprinting directly onto the forms. It functions as a living archive and new architecture (a cite and site) for social spaces of learning, living, and processing together. For this work-in-progress, I gathered learning resources from my personal library, local NYC archives, the Public Library, and through collaborations with artist/activist friends. During this project, NYC Mayor Adams closed all libraries on Sundays. In response, I organized a program called open Source Sundays, where I curated materials and initiated conversations around important themes like “Gentrification, Urban Development, and Displacement,” “Early Knowledge Holders (from Daycare to Pre-K),” and “Indigenous Ecologies.” The installation was open to visitors on Sundays from 1 to 5 pm, during previously held library open hours.
Using healing methods, I also made a transgressive flower essence as an energetic offering for the site and visitors, installed warm yellow lights in the space, and played ambient frequencies tuned to 528Hz to help slow down the body and mind from a reactive to a responsive state when engaging with the materials.