“When I quote others I do so in order to express my own ideas more clearly.” -- Michel de Montaigne

City of Craft, 2009, Royal Car Wash, Toronto, Ontario

One of the most exciting aspects of any city is its diversity--cities are places where we learn to live with strangers. But, the “standardization of public consumption“  (Richard Sennett) has caused a neutrality of public spaces rather than one that seeks to acknowledge and expand the complexity of modern cities. I hope that this intervention will create a space of social interaction and engagement in and with the city rather than one of public consumption or dismay. At its best, the project will interrupt and challenge viewers' visual routines for a second to notice what is around them.

The installation will be a simple one. Words and images will be hand cut from sign vinyl and adhered to the window. In a nod to the local community I would like to print thoughtful expressions such as “Why can't we be friends?" (Hit song from the US in the late 70's) or “One must always be prepared to learn something totally new. --Ludwig Wittgenstein in English, Portuguese, and Hindi.