TITLE:
DRAWING DEVICE IN FLIGHT
PLACE:
YOSEMITE LAKE / MAC / ART-HOP MERCED
ORGANIZATION:
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN MERCED
MANAGED:
OLGA DIEGO
TEAM: MARY
LEE, PERLA CERNA AND DANIELA PORTILLO
UCM: DEAN
JILL ROBBINS
MAC: COLTON
DENIS
FILMMAKER
DOCUMENTARY: KEITH CURRY
DRAWING DEVICE IN FLIGHT is the
final project of the ART IN FLIGHT course taught by the artist Olga Diego at
the University of California in Merced.
Invited by the dean Jill Robbins,
the project aimed to mix Art, Engineering and Social Implication.
The result was six months of intense
and interesting work with students of the UCM and with the local population of
Merced.
Two public events (Jelly Fish Tank
and the Drawing Device In Flight), plus two exhibitions (at MAC and at the UCM
Art Gallery) and participation in Art Hop as well as several conferences formed
the complete project.
The final event that is shown here
took place in the Yosemite Lake area, adjacent to the university campus. We
launched into the sky a large flight device made of translucent plastic.
The implication of the local public
consisted in the realization of drawings and writings on plastic. We asked them
to think about ideas about flight, or what did it mean for them to fly? Anyone
could participate. Everyone was invited.
Afterwards, we would make their
ideas fly. We would launch theirs drawings in the sky embedded in the
device. Well, actually it was not only
theirs, it was of all those who participated. The project was built and took
shape with the involvement of all.
The action of participation of the
public to draw lasted several days. We offered the plastic in different places
of the city and the university campus. We were in the local art fair where the
participation of the public was incredible.
In this way it was possible to
involve both the local community and the university community in the same
project. Maybe it was a little crazy but it was really interesting and exciting.
