"On this site stood" is a project to install sculptures --historical markers and plaques -- on buildings and in parks around lower Manhattan from May through September of 2009.The sculptures look just like traditional “historical” markers and plaques but instead of highlighting a civil war battle or the birthplace of a famous person, they highlight a contemporary social or political issue, adding the weight of historical importance to today’s concerns. The text on each one is carefully crafted to provoke thought without alienating the viewer. One reads:
ON THIS SITE STOOD
RY BRAUER, TYPICAL AMERICAN
TEEN. BY THE AGE OF 18, HE
HAD WITNESSED OVER 30,000
MURDERS ON TV.
The text on them is carefully crafted to engage, not enrage, to draw the viewers in, to plant a message that just might resonate. I love the idea of public art that makes people think, and socially conscious art that’s accessible and inviting instead of inaccessible and insulting. That's the art I'm trying to create with this project. I hope I've succeeded.
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