Cinnamon Tree

Artists:

River Kerstetter, Michael Lorenzo Lopez

 To Ellen, From Michael:

I was looking at the photos of the sign with my friend / co-worker River Kerstetter, (cc’d on this Email) and we both thought the piece could be well supported by talking to people who are directly near the sign. We noticed how the sign is situated right by a bus stop and thought, “what a perfect place to glean quotes!” River pointed out that since people are waiting for the bus, they are obviously going somewhere and we could ask them where they are headed.

We could sit at the bus stop for a few hours and ask people the simple question, “Where are you going?” (possibly audio record the conversation) and ask or calculate the mileage from the sign/bus stop to their destination and make one of those “Miles to” signs with a mixture of destinations. The great part about this idea is that it places the sign in direct relationship to the everyday lives of the people in the area and continues to function as a sign; offering a sense of direction or information. River pointed out that while the “Miles to” signs normally point out grand destinations (i.e. New York, Chicago, London) this sign highlights the everyday. We both like the idea of asking people about where they are headed because of the diversity of answers we will receive from the chore of grocery shopping: “Albertsons 15.2 mi” to the personal visit with a loved one: “My Grandma’s House 5.2 mi”.