Space \ˈspās\ n \ Middle English, from Anglo-French espace, space, from Latin spatium area, room, interval of space or time.  Date: 14th century 1 : a period of time; also : its duration 2 a : a limited extent in one, two, or three dimensions : distance, area, volume b : an extent set apart or available <parking space> <floor space> c : the distance from other people or things that a person needs in order to remain comfortable <invading my personal space> 3 : one of the degrees between or above or below the lines of a musical staff — compare line 4 a : a boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction <infinite space and time> b : physical space independent of what occupies it —called also absolute space 5 : the region beyond the earth’s atmosphere or beyond the solar system 6 a : a blank area separating words or lines b : material used to produce such blank area; especially : a piece of type less than one en in width 7 : a set of mathematical elements and especially of abstractions of all the points on a line, in a plane, or in physical space; especially : a set of mathematical entities with a set of axioms of geometric character — compare metric space, topological space, vector space 8 a : linage b : broadcast time available especially to advertisers 9 : accommodations on a public vehicle 10 a : the opportunity to assert or experience one’s identity or needs freely b : an opportunity for privacy or time to oneself

The Project – History

Welcome to SPACE.  3 Artists.  3 Cities.  3 Perspectives on Space.  In the spring of 2010, I met Ryan Dunkerley and Erin Clemens on their Northwest vacation stop through Seattle.  We shared some food, music, ranted and raved about great art and the … not so great.  Over the course of a late night dinner I inched forward the idea of pursuing a show in Detroit.  Detroit, I ventured, was ripe for art-making.  Stripped down to the point that art was a necessity more than a guilty pleasure.  Ryan jumped at the opportunity.  The seedling of the project began responding immediately to the space itself.  Neither of us had been to Detroit, but somehow the fascination of empty lots, abandoned homes, a community shifting and in the midst of transition was enough.

As a writer, I continued to debate my “rights” in writing about a space I’d never seen.  About growth, decay, and transition from the outside.  “I’ll write the space itself,” I decided, a challenging enough proposition.  Nevertheless, I put myself in the mind of the architecture.  What would the space feel, say, or do?  I allowed the SPACE to be my antagonist.

This was a complete and utter failure.  Writing about a wall is hard.  Writing like a wall is even harder.

Over the course of the weekend, I realized that the project was quickly asking me questions I had not previously considered.  Until recently, I held a close reign on the project as a conversation about physical space.  About the reflections architecture can offer into a community about transition and regeneration.  Ryan’s animation and video projections displayed exactly this:  the relationship between destruction and regrowth.  Erin’s poetry and photo documentation was an honest and inward display of public and private space.

For each of us, the project evolved past the fundamental “let’s project art onto a wall in Detroit and Pittsburgh” into “how do we accommodate the conversations around space?”  Here are a few examples:

• Public vs. Private Space
• The physical identity of space (transitional, vacant, abandoned, occupied)
• Space, Habit, and Geography
• Space and Relationships
• Nostalgia, Memory, and Space
• The Memoir of a Space
• Regrowth
• Space as a reflection of community (or community as space)

From here, we realized this is a larger project – one that extends beyond a weekend of projection art (yes, there was projection art, after two failed attempts we succeeded in projecting work over the Detroit Train Station and Lager House – thank you PJ!) – a conversation that invites people to consider how they are affected by space and their relationship to it.  Over the next six months we will host interviews, public talks, class discussions, and of course, public art on the topic from Seattle to Detroit all the way to West Virginia.  We welcome participants from here to there and beyond. There are no limits.  Join the SPACE!