And speaking about community/urban/cultural development, my brother took me by the Heidelberg Project in Detroit last week. While we need to think holistically about all the issues facing our cities today, it is important to not be overwhelmed by the task at hand (especially in Detroit).
Every undertaking – from planting a garden to laying miles of light-rail – starts with a single step. In 1986 Tyree Guyton began inhabiting, upkeeping, and transforming one small corner of his city. The result is an ongoing art installation that moves from one abandoned lot or house to the next. Of course Detroit is not saved. But on one block in one dilapidated city, you can tell that someone cares.
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September 30, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Filling in the Gaps «
[...] While VICE showcases a fair bit of the urban decay themselves – fully half of their video piece features Johnny Knoxville illegally wandering through beautiful abandoned buildings marveling at their opulent past – the piece eloquently uncovers a nascent yet thriving creative class in Motor City. Artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs seem banded together in tough pioneerism, facing the cruel city with microphones, paint brushes and pulled pork. They commiserate in their under appreciated city and revel at their good fortune of living in Detroit at a time when they can poach entire city blocks for farming, art installations, and rave parties. Listening to these determined voices, you get the feeling that Detroit can rebound, one DIY project at a time. [...]