What are the two phases of your exhibition?
The first part of the exhibition is interactive. The gallery will be empty except for a sound booth where visitors will be invited to share their favorite memory of living in San Antonio. Each memory will be recorded digitally and, over the course of the exhibition, will be played over speakers along the sidewalk in front of Artpace.
The second phase, opening March 22nd, will see the unveiling of a 20-foot long drip painting meant to represent the San Antonio sunset. Visitors and passersby will be able to listen to the recorded memories, which represent our past, while simultaneously viewing the painting, which represents our present. The viewer represents our future.
Can anyone participate in the memory recording, or only native San Antonians?
The public will be invited to anonymously share their favorite memory of living in San Antonio, no matter if they have lived here their entire life or just moved here last week. Memories provide historical context and, when presented anonymously, suggest a sense of equality that we are not always afforded.
I think it is important that as a community we all share and listen more. In doing so, perhaps we can continue to move forward with a better understanding and a deeper sense of compassion for each other.
What is the significance of the title, The Sunset Belongs to Us?
Sunsets can be interpreted in different ways. For some they represent an ending while for others they represent transition. As we celebrate our Tricentennial the sunset becomes especially significant as a symbol of San Antonio itself, ever changing, but always beautiful and inspiring.
In 2018 we have an opportunity to reflect on where we came from and dream about where we want to go. Progress happens with the best of intentions, but inevitably there will be winners and losers. Regardless, every person who lives here is passionate about San Antonio. The title can be read one of two ways. Either you are claiming the sunset for yourself or you are proclaiming that it belongs to all of us. How one interprets the title is really an indicator of how they would approach the subject of progress in San Antonio.
