In our “What It Takes” blog series, we talk about how public art is made: by the numbers — totaling up every unusual material used from concrete to fabric — and by whom. In this entry, we count (and recount) the hours spent planning (and replanning) a work that took on multiple lives throughout its over-a-year-long process.
Photo by Nir Landau.
As our first signature project installed amidst a pandemic, we learned a lot on the journey to create Sari Carel’s The Shape of Play with JArts.
Thanks to our fabrication team at BRM Production Management and of course, Sari, we were able to safely install a work that asked: “Do you feel free to play?” while juggling temperature checks (73 to be exact) and the difficulties of sourcing materials (hello 1.5 cubic yards of sand).
“Although almost nothing went as originally planned throughout this project’s process, what did transpire was one of the most creative and determined examples of collaboration and logistical innovation that I’ve ever seen.”
Unveiled in early September, as cities unlocked playgrounds for the first time in months, Sari’s original concept for The Shape of Play took on a new kind of urgency. We took down the fences and crossed our fingers, and soon you were there: masked, physically-distanced, and enjoying the sandboxes, sculptures, and soundscapes.
Here’s some of the numbers we collected along this project’s journey:
73 Temperature checks
along with just as many symptom reports; and at least as many masks.
6 Months
between our original opening date (May 2020) and the project’s actual debut.
440 HOURS
of measuring, cutting, and plying wood.
4 PLAYGROUNDS “SAMPLED”
In January, Sari traversed Boston’s play structures, armed with drumsticks and a boom mic. We did not keep count of the funny looks we got from passersby...
80 TOTAL HOURS
Sari spent on sound design. She spent at least a couple hours in the studio listening to sand being sprinkled on a metal slide.
16 MINUTES
of the resulting sound element.
15 HOURS
of “spatial engineering.” Ask our project manager what this means.
463 PARTICIPANTS AND VIEWERS
of JArts’s Community Dialogues inspired by The Shape of Play. These conversations explored the what, when, where, and why of the project through curatorial, artistic, educational, and civic perspectives.
1.5 CUBIC YARDS
of sand. That’s the same as over 300 gallons, or 77,558 tablespoons. We’re hoping none of it was tracked into your house.
56 TEAM-WIDE ZOOM MEETINGS
to plan, re-plan, and re-re-plan again. Not including the many 1-on-1 Facetime sessions between Sari and our curator, Leah.
The only thing we’re still counting? The number of kids in this sandbox (“swipe” to slide two for reveal).
“I always learn when I make a piece of public art, I learn so much, I’m not done learning. Every time I learn more about what public art can offer within civic space. What is public art good for? That’s the trickier question. I don’t have a good answer. But every time I work on a project, there’s a really long and deep learning experience that stays with me, and carries over to the next project.”
Explore the concepts behind this project — from the Passover story, to the Bauhaus, to John Cage — in our What it Takes series, and read Bianca’s full statement on the project’s journey via BRM Production Management’s brand-new blog.
Header photo by Faith Ninivaggi. Install shots courtesy of BRM Production Management.