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how designers and illustrators use public space vs. how jenny holzer uses public space
building on this (because i find it really disappointing), what is clear in this comparison is the designers' obsession with the form and rhetoric of the poster, to the point that it obfuscates or diminishes its meaning. the sentiment is cannibalized by the artifact.
whereas holzer's work employs the vernacular of its context (ie. a dot matrix road sign) to seed an idea in a quotidian framework. the banality of the form is strategic. it catches the viewer off guard, presenting them with a meta narrative which invites their participation.
instead, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to takeover times square has been squandered with messages that are either ubiquitous (WASH HANDS) or facile (TOGETHER APART), packaged in a trendy aesthetic that disappears among the forgettable ads they're placed beside.
and yet designers are billed as the masters of communication. the singular experts in how to effectively broadcast a message in an image-saturated society.
20 renowned designers and illustrators and this was the best we could do?
20 renowned designers and illustrators and this was the best we could do?
ending with another powerful example of public messaging. at the height of the aids crisis, felix gonzalez-torres made billboards with an image of his empty bed. he flooded nyc w/ a sobering photo of intimacy, comfort, and loss. his partner died from the disease later that year.
“i need the public to complete the work, to become part of my work, to join in.”
