‘YOU ARE HERE: An Unstable Moment’, a project by WISP Design Collective, started out of the cathartic experience of creating collaboratively. Using the word prompt “unstable,” each member of the collective had complete freedom of both media and subject matter and the resulting works are reactions to what has been created before them. Due to COVID-19 collaboration within a physical space was impossible; instead an envelope was passed to each participant working in isolation.
The goal throughout this project and in the way it is exhibited is to prioritize the process of creating over the final outcomes. Focus is placed on how each work has been created, the mistakes made along the way, and the non-linear and often messy nature of creation. In sharing aspects of the project creation that are not normally displayed in galleries the collective attempts to question the authority and expertise of the artist/designer.
The resulting works so far deal with such varying themes as play, change, body image, solitude, and food. Ways in which viewers can engage with the work and start their own chain of creation has been incorporated into the exhibit. In attempting to make design more accessible, WISP challenges the belief that a formal design background is a prerequisite for creating.
*Note that the exhibition is best viewed on a computer (as opposed to mobile device). If you see the notice “Please use a desktop to view project site!” make your browser window larger.
