Kyle Browne, the vision behind Lot Lab’s “Signaling,” has long been drawn to bodies of water. Growing up on the coast in Gloucester, MA, she was witness to the awe-inspiring polarity of the ocean’s great waves. This affinity for the sea was stoked by her father, a carpenter who took great pride in restoring wooden boats. “Whenever I smell diesel and teak,” Browne recalled, “it takes me back to my childhood and the many boats and boatyards my dad worked on.” Like the ocean itself, these boats were sites of wonder and inspiration. As she grew into her artistic practice, which flows across the intersection of processes, content, and community, the sea continued to serve as a teacher and source of joy.
Behind the scenes of Signaling’s making at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club. Photo by Kyle Browne.
In 2023, Now + There approached Browne about facilitating a flag-making workshop for youth from the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club and Turn it Around. The flags would be displayed as public artwork on a flagpole at Lot Lab, flying high above the Charlestown Navy Yard. Inspired by her roots and the lot’s historic location, Browne devised a workshop centered on nautical flags. Nautical flags are, by design, remarkable communication devices. Using a limited palette of eye-catching colors and a visual language understood oceanwide, they signal to each other directions and intentions, messages of danger and need.
Much like nautical flags themselves, the goal of the workshops was both simple and multi-registered: to teach Charlestown’s youth about the communicative power of signal flags, and to encourage them to share their own messages in turn. After describing the history and symbolism of signaling, Browne taught each class how to make their own flag. In the brightly cluttered art room of the Boys and Girls Club, some young artists were given pause. It can be difficult to articulate a message that represents yourself, or represents the future of a community you care for. Browne, an experienced educator, prompted the campers to consider the unique messages their flags might convey.
“What do you want to say to your community?” she asked. “Yourself? Your friends? What would Charlestown or Boston say to another city?”
One young camper suggested that a flag could signal danger to passing ships; another thought that it could welcome immigrants sailing in from distant countries. What emerged from this assignment was a collective consideration of what and how we commemorate and communicate, within and across the Charlestown community.
Browne showing campers’ past flags for inspiration. Photo by Poppy Livingstone.
Given the freedom to design their own flag, many youth chose to depict the things they loved the most. At one point, flags depicting Pikachu, a smiling comedian, and a sprinkled soft-serve ice cream cone waved proudly above the wharf. Lukas N. and Everett J. asked within minutes if they could work as a pair, and spent the entirety of the workshop urgently whispering instructions to each other as they shared fabric markers. At the end of the activity, they revealed a detailed design honoring the Boston Logan International Airport. “We’re obsessed with airplanes,” Lukas said. “If you ever fly to Newark, you should take United.” Affixed to Lot Lab’s 25-foot tall flagpole, these flags proudly bore the well-meaning message of their makers: “I like this. I care about this. Maybe you should care about this too.”
Lukas N. and Everett J.’s flag depicting the Boston Logan International Airport. Created at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club on July 20.
Aidan W.’s flag honoring Pikachu from Pokemon. Created at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club on July 20.
Other youth chose to represent symbols of local and national pride. The Bunker Hill monument, which looms just half a mile from the lot, appears on several flags. Audrey Z. carefully traced the Red Sox logo for a tribute to her family’s favorite team. Browne encouraged campers to consider existing flags and symbols while they brainstormed their designs, weaving nautical and personal iconographies. Flags honoring Honduras and Puerto Rico called back to two young artists’ home countries. Of 50 flags produced by Signaling’s young artists, five featured Irish flags, speaking to the deeply rooted Irish immigrant community that first arrived in Charlestown nearly 200 years ago. One camper cut blocks of black and yellow – the colors of a nautical “L” – to mimic a building in a cityscape illuminated from the outside in. Familiar, individual, and refreshing as the ocean breeze, their work thoughtfully represented the communities they call home.
Emily E’s flag celebrating Honduras. Created at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club on July 20.
Young artist’s flag celebrating Ireland. Created at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club.
Though flags are often used to delineate borders of geography and national identity, signal flags are internationally understood. This ethos pervaded many pieces, which celebrated and spoke to the diverse citizenry that makes up their neighborhood. One young artist drew the Yin Yang symbol to both celebrate her Chinese-American family and “tell everyone to be kind even when things are hard.” Another added hearts to the American flag to “make it more welcoming.” After completing her Honduras flag, Emily E. drew the earth “in case aliens need to know where we are.” Augusta F. thoughtfully used signal flags to spell out “I AM,” followed by images of Irish, American, and Norwegian flags. Beneath this tableau, the flag proudly declares “PEACE IS RISING” in large capital letters. High up on the flagpole at Lot Lab, animated by the Navy Yard’s blustering winds, their messages could be seen far and wide.
As Boston’s oldest neighborhood, Charlestown is mired in history. Its century-old attractions, from the Bunker Hill Monument to brick-laid Freedom Trail, draw in thousands of visitors a year. While these sightseers might be looking to explore Charlestown’s complex past, Signaling invites tourists and locals alike to sit with its vibrant present. As evinced by the young artists, this community is at once diverse, playful, thoughtful, and proud. It is also ever forward-looking. Prompted to share a message with and about their community, Charlestown’s youth chose to uplift messages of peace and care, wellbeing and welcoming. As we navigate the unknown waters of Charlestown’s collective future, these flags might serve as helpful guides to lead us safely into port.
Leela K’s flag created at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club on July 20.
Augusta F’s flag announcing “PEACE IS RISING”. Created at the Charlestown Boys and Girls Club on August 3.
“Signaling” will be on view at Lot Lab until October 31. Kyle Browne will be creating a site-specific installation for Continuum at the Manship Artist Residency in Gloucester, MA, opening on September 22. You can find her at kylebrowne.com or on IG @kybrocreative.
Banner image: Lot Lab “Signaling” flag raising. (c) Annielly Camargo