A Tale of Two Spaces (and Sculptures)

Today, I went to George Mason University's Campus to shoot a bit of exploratory footage so I could explain why I chose my location for The Listening Fort.

The choice for my location is a connective space that adjoins the two buildings where I spend the majority of my workday. And I am lucky to have it! But I did not choose the space for its convenient location to me: I chose it because of this:

This is "Woman in Hammock" by Azriel Awret," and she is my favorite sculpture on George Mason University's Campus.

I wanted to choose a place and a sculpture (body) that already helped me welcome others into a position of listening and comfort. She does this. 

 

I think "Woman In Hammock" and the space she helps create is quite different from GMU's most famous sculpture... GEORGE MASON (below). While George is loved by many as a symbol of the University, he, in his open area, is attended by the kind of busy walking and "coming and going" that makes him a "doer" rather than a "listener." This is most likely why he is such a popular gathering spot on campus tours, but he is not a natural chaperone for the kind of quiet, intimate talk that students, teachers, or other campus cohorts need to have to feel comfortably heard and understood as part of "good talk" between equals.

 If you notice the open location and visibility of George, you can see the contrast between his exposed position and the nestled space of secret comfort offered by "Woman in Hammock." Both are part of the University, but each say very different things about how we spend our time and move within each others' lives (and how we might comfortably share time and space in our immediate environment).










For a more comprehensive explanation of my choice, please watch the video below: