the power of scale
Funny thing about space. All spaces make us feel things. Small spaces can feel cramped or even claustrophobic. Almost like we don’t fit in that space because we don’t have enough space to be. Where as large spaces can make us feel so small. There is more than enough room for us to be and then some. In fact, there is so much space that it creates a new problem: the unknown.
Out in the great expanse of the open plains, the desert or mountains, it can be hard to find a spot that fits right, or feels right. The work we do tries to play on that scale that provides time to wander. The bigger the better the emphasis of the piece to the relationship of the viewer. It makes me think about kids. For me, when I was a kid the world was massive. Endless days exploring the woods, creeks and valleys in my area. For kids growing up in communities of West Texas, I wonder how they feel and what they think about their space around them. For those who have not been to West Texas, the landscape is massive. It’s an open, undulating terrain that seems to run on and on forever. And the wind will tell you so as there is so much space that there is room for even the wind to run wild.
Marfa, Texas is a unique community that has largely become an area whose main industry is art, and the industry that is creative expression. Known the world over for this fact and it also influences the next generation of ideas for what they can do with their own time. Learning a craft and how to express themselves in different ways than what we have traditionally understood as work. Which brings me to my point about this entry.
In Marfa, there is an elementary school school named, The Marfa Independent School District. I encourage you to check it out as in this town of 1,649 residents, a part of the curriculum is teaching art to young minds and the power of self-expression. Something that is being strip-mined from children in bigger communities all over America. This is not news. And we are seeing the results of a generation of people who are raised by social media. The consumption of what other people do and not feeling empowered. This is not a call for the end of social media. There are attributes to it obviously. I will stop this idea here, because it takes me away from my point.
At that point, I have a thought about providing an opportunity for students at Marfa ISD to install a mural at their school. A piece that they work on, from conception to execution. Placed on an exterior wall these students can return to their school and see what the next class is up to. No appointment is necessary. As of this moment, I don’t know how to even start this process. The core idea is that this exterior wall is a legacy piece and an outcoming piece that gives these young people a place where they put a mark on the land that sometimes can feel too big to know how to navigate.
And this goes for any school. Let’s keep this idea moving and how we can bring it to life. You can contact me, Tony Frusciante, at Desert Signal if you are interested in helping this idea become realized. info@desertsignal.art
