RTA Woodhill Station Public Art Proposal
(Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority)
This public art proposal looks to take advantage of the gathering crowds of waiting passengers in common spaces to engage in questioning public political identity + attachment.
The installation would necessitate the deployment of 15’ high standards, similar to the state signs that are so ubiquitous at national political conventions, around the site but also near the gathering passengers . However, instead of inscribing “Ohio” or some other geographical entity onto the standards, the signs would be emblazoned with abstract geographies, “here,” “there,” and “where.” The placement of such standards within waiting, gathering, and staging areas would force the passengers to question what is their political attachment or responsibility not only to Woodhill-Buckeye neighborhood, but also to the greater body politic. In an era of regional urban and population shrinkage, the standards could also question and bring attention to the phenomenon of transient populations who are fleeing “here” or looking to move “there,” some”where” or else”where,” using public infrastructures.
The standards would be constructed locally and fabricated from locally produced materials. The standard would be constructed with resilient and capable weathering materials. While represented in the rendering as white standards with black lettering, the signs could also be painted and finished in a myriad of ways. If the budget allows, the standards can be wired and powered for internal illumination and site lighting, if desired.
