I have glued a coffee cup and saucer to the roof of my car, above the driver’s seat. It appears as if I have precariously rested my cup of coffee there while rushing into my car, but have forgotten it.
The idea developed when I returned to Australia after living nearly 20 years in Israel I missed the colourful, energetic lifestyle and open interaction between people. Back in Melbourne, I especially felt the boring wait for traffic lights to change – in Israel this was an opportunity to chat with the driver in the car next to you, to ask directions or engage in a brisk debate over the latest political development.
It is no longer a boring wait at the traffic lights. There is always a fellow driver pointing out to me (some more concerned than others) that I’ve forgotten my cup on the car. This gives me a chance to smile sheepishly and hold up a sign with the words ‘IT’S ART’.
Recently I added a small ‘sorry’ to ‘IT’S ART’, because of the concern it caused some people. Usually the reaction, however, is exactly what I want – when I hold up the sign, a burst of laughter follows and a connection has been made.
We part happily with beaming smiles.
My mobile installation promotes a direct exchange between individuals in the face-to-face proximity of the street. I am catching the target, unaware through the fall of the viewer’s gaze. Everyday circulation becomes a form of grassroots communication and loose social networking – a mode of local dialogue.
By extending a message to a stranger and potential ally, I promote contact and direct exchange between individuals, affirming social bonds.