The art project called Neighborhood Watch: projection walk will be held at dusk (around 7:30pm) in Seminole Heights in Tampa, Florida on Saturday April 12^th, 2008.  A simultaneous Neighborhood Watch project held in El Paso, Texas will be broadcast via webchat as part of the Tampa event.

Neighborhood Watch: Projection Walk is an interventionist style art project that combines a nocturnal walk through residential neighborhoods with illuminated installations, performances, and video projections.  Art is integrated within the neighborhood, on houses, garages, windows and fences where neighbors and visitors are invited to visit.  The project as a whole is an effort to promote discussion about the sense of place, public and private space, as well as home within the context of the neighborhood.

To begin the project, artists propose videos, installations, and site specific performances. We delve into the neighborhood, and with the collaboration of artists and residents (many are one and the same) create an ephemeral event. We invite strangers onto our lawns with the purpose of watching, and simultaneously meeting neighbors we previously didn't know. To complete the project we need neighbors to share their homes, lawns, and a little about themselves.

This year’s project connects experiences in the historic neighborhoods of Seminole Heights in Tampa, FL and Sunset Heights in El Paso, TX.  Look for more information posted in the neighborhood as April 12^th approaches.

2008TAMPA, FL artists include::::::::::::
Wendy Babcox: Deon Blackwell: Desiree D’Alessandro: Chelsea Goodwin: Vince Kral: Daniel Moore: Yoko Nogami: Jen Poueymirou: Anat Pollack: Greg Slimko

2008EL PASO, TX artists include::::::::::
Jaime Carrejo: Elijah Fernandez: Monica Pedregon: Kalitia Roberts: Xochichi Rodriguez: Daniel Szwaczkowski

 

click on thumbnails to see snapshots from the take 1 event

Neighborhood Watch: Projection Walk is a noctournal walk through residential neighborhoods, illuminated with video projections on houses, garages, windows and fences; Featuring site specific art, and introductions to fellow neighbors.

take1 was held on a warm Florida evening in March 2006 in Tampa's Seminole Heights Neighborhood immediately east of Nebraska Ave, north of Hillsborough Avenue, and south of Sligh.  The description of this neighborhood defined by roads, and characterised with euphamistic blurbs on real estate fact sheets falls short of the expectations someone may have for calling a place home. This project is an introduction to the specific experience of a place, for the residents, as well as the visitors.

Artists propose videos, installations, site specific performances. We delve into the neighborhood, and with the collaboration of artists and residents (many are one and the same) create an ephemeral event. Where a traditional neighborhood watch would be suspicious of late night loitering, we invite strangers onto our lawns, and simultaneously meet neighbors we previously didn't know.

Attendees were asked to start at that point so that they could receive a map of locations within walking distance. 

The three-hour event culminated at a residence for a cookout and awards ceremony.  The unconventional trophies awarding categories such as “Most Magical” and “Projector D’or” were made by Alex Costantino, and designated by all who attended the event. 

The event was well remembered success, and many of the neighbors have said Neighborhood Watch: Projection Walk was the catalyst for the best interactions they’ve had with one another, as well as the most extraordinary circumstance to be part of an artistic endeavor.

CALL CLOSED - THANK YOU! for all of the wonderful submissions

2008TAMPA, FL artists include::::::::::::
Wendy Babcox: Deon Blackwell: Desiree D’Alessandro: Chelsea Goodwin: Vince Kral: Daniel Moore: Yoko Nogami: Jen Poueymirou: Anat Pollack: Greg Slimko
2008EL PASO, TX artists include::::::::::
Jaime Carrejo: Elijah Fernandez: Monica Pedregon: Kalitia Roberts: Xochichi Rodriguez: Daniel Szwaczkowski

 

Neighborhood Watch Projection Walk: Take 2

This is a call for proposals/collaborations to be considered in developing a neighborhood projection show. Neighborhood Watch: Take2 is an outdoor, illuminated, walk through the neighborhood, adressing the experience of living in a neighborhood, interacting with neighbors, transporting Selections of still or time based media on the theme of public and private space will be projected in the Seminole Heights region of Tampa, FL. The walk will be a small scale, pedestrian tour of video, film, slides or lights in a residential neighborhood. Works will be on display for one evening in April 2008.

DEADLINE:
Proposals will be accepted January through March.
Finished Entry, video, information, and other components must be received one week before the event.

REQUIREMENTS:
All submissions must be complete and in traditional slide or digital format ready to play LOOPED on DVD. 
Submissions must be labeled with Name, Address, Email and Phone number.
This info is especially important on the disc, not just the case.
Those submissions with SASE will be returned.
Mail or Hand Deliver Submissions to:
Chelsea Ann Goodwin
USF School of Art and Art History
4202 E Fowler Ave. FAH110
Tampa, FL 33620

Selected projects will be installed in the community.  
Invitations will be printed, as maps and the Neighborhood Watch will culminate at a residence in the area for reception and awards and conversation.

Direct questions and e-mail correspondence to cgoodwin(at)arts.usf.edu

 

How we did it…
+Chelsea made a call for entries to the usual suspects, starting with whom and what we knew would be a fast and reliable showing of engaging video art and installations.  The participating artists were also asked to participate, by helping with set up, projector docenting, and tear down.  Without their responsibility the event would have collapsed.

+Presentation at Arts Council Meeting

*Presentations at actual Neighborhood Watch meeting see Elizabeth of Seminole Heights…

+Slow response - Call was initiated to artists I knew.  Sean Cheatham Juried the show, but we both discovered this was unnecessary as we scrounged up enough projectors to show all of the work – including those that used multiple projectors.
*This year I would like to hear proposals for work or see work made to have a tighter curation of works available, more consideration of the act context of the art (we had wonderful consideration before – this will be a more compact show)

+Greg, Jaime and I drew up the support of our neighbors by knocking on doors at around dinnertime.  We handed out contact cards, and talked about our mission. 
Our Request was simple:  Invite the people living there to the event, invite them to participate, and get info about the other neighbors who may be interested. 
If they were interested we asked for the location of an outlet, or the use of their extension cord (ALL MUST BE LABELED, that was the key to getting everything back)
In some cases we asked for permission to hang a sheet or project from the inside out a window.
*Ask that all motion detection lights be deactivated if not integral to the work. This includes neighbors.

+Distributed maps with the time, date and meeting point Jaime helped with design, and several grads helped print with free Marshal Center print credits.

+Shawn (with his mad projectionist skills), and my neighbor’s teenage stepdaughter (from Illinois) helped distribute projectors, stands, screens (if needed) cords, disk players, We really relied on the docents to be available at this point to be guarding our equipment from any unfortunate events.

+We took, nails, hammers, CHAIRS, TABLES, tape, extra cords to ensure smooth set up.

+Docents who came later, listened to my debriefing…Be friendly, give lots of instruction to the next house/site, here are some details about the art that is out there…Dame, with his old van, drove around to drop everyone off.
*I had no choice about pre-printing the artist info or homes on the walk, since the work we could show was dependant on the number of projectors I could check out from AV services.   They will not give me all of them (I may only ask for the old models – long term loan).  Even if it’s a weekend, and even if I have a perfect track record, and even If I say that the projectors will remain on campus for the entire time.
Through persuasion, I convinced the attendant (who’s daughter is an art student at USF) that this was a noble cause, received 9 projectors & 4 DVD players; the rest came from the cage

+Even so, the word of mouth approach was what made it a great neighborhood event.  Not having the info printed was a catalyst for several, often identical conversations….

+Two students, Jessica and her friend greeted guests at publix.  They had a master map of all of the sites, and as people came up they dotted the maps they gave out.

+ Documentation was spotty.

*Stills, and video with quotations from participants are needed.  The resounding effect of this neighborhood watch was amazing.  I remember seeing longtime residents walking all too familiar streets guided by map as if they were visiting.  I remember hearing about the transference of land, the relationships that formed through connections neighbors were making.  I heard people asking questions about art.  I saw people walking around in each other’s yards.

*Reception should be donated food.

*Timing is very important