Project Proposal Idea

I would like to take this opportunity to discuss my idea, for the final project for our Junior/Senior Colloquium, which -although it is currently rather vague- houses the ability to be linked with at least one other project.

I know we, as a class, have many inspiring ideas; therefore I welcome different integrations and accommodations to my idea, so that each student feels she has invested a great part of her own individual creativity into this final project. 


As I reviewed the different requirements for the final project, tangibility is the aspect I focused on greatest. I mentally sorted through all the different projects and movements people at Carlow had done -either purely for the attempt to change something or to fulfill a requirement for a class- that I have turned a blind eye and ear to. This fate is not one I will allow our final project to suffer from. I want to approach our project idea in a way that it is impossible (for at least our Carlow audience) to be able to turn a blind eye or ear to us; with this in mind, I began to brainstorm.

Another thought that was simultaneously running through my head was Carlow's peace pole. One of my clinical instructors stated the words "Carlow's peace pole" as a directional landmark and I couldn't appeared more dumbfounded if I intentionally attempted to do so. I had to ask for further details because I had no idea what the peace pole was or where it was located on campus.

With both thoughts in mind, I began to formulate an idea, one that could exist even as an extension of another project or two contributing to the overall final movement. How could we create something that would contribute to Carlow primarily, individuals who pass by, and give more recognition to the peace pole on campus? I decided one way to accomplish these objectives would be to create some type of sculpture within a close vicinity to the peace pole; since one individual recognizing human dignity within another individual, and respecting it, leads to peace.

When the idea was hatched I always saw the sculpture as being a hand, either made of solid material, or bent wire (similar to the other sculpture near Aquinas). At first I saw it as leaning towards the peace pole, but then I began to imagine it standing straight up. Perhaps more brainstorming (as a class) could help develop a way to link the two objects together, instead of allowing the public to assume we lack reason for the closeness between the two structures.


The actual design of the hand isn't necessarily an aspect of the project I am especially attached to. I believe it could take on any different form, completely foreign to the foggy image I saw in my head. I do think though, that the hand should (if possible) display a gesture much like the one in the left picture above. Looking at this picture, I feel the hand is reaching out, to whom? Perhaps humanity, perhaps just an individual, but the important fact is that it is reaching out to anyone at all. 


The other aspect of the sculpture that would help solidify it's tangibility would be to involve the surrounding audience of (at least) Carlow. The students could hold an event, either as an extension of a primary event, or our own separate affair. 


The event would be centered around an idea:

"Give a hand, recognize and respect human dignity, to achieve harmony and peace."

Or something along these lines.  And as part of the event we would allow all who wished, to dip their hand in paint and place their handprint on the sculpture as an oath to recognize human dignity and in remembrance of the event. This way individuals who participated would remember the ceremony and message behind it, every time they passed by the sculpture, new comers to the campus would ask about the sculpture, and even people who are simply passing by the sculpture, could admire its uniqueness. 

This idea is very raw and has lots of room to grow. For instance, one suggestion was creating a refugee camp, perhaps during our hand-dipping sculpture event we could have the refugee camp taking place as well, in AJP, and at points around the sculpture. Another idea I found interesting was the wishing wall idea, where one individual wears a ribbon around their wrist he/she has chosen that has another person's wish written on it. There is potential to integrate these ideas into one project, which may be even an extension of two other systems that combine to create our overall final project. 
The possibilities are limitless.




"Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail."
                          -Charles F. Kettering