The library wanted a showpiece that included the word TEEN. They’d seen the TRUE FOOD Installation and wanted something similar.
We asked the community to donate personal items from their TEENAGE YEARS, wanting all generations represented. San Marcos delivered. We even received donations from New York and Florida. One Floridian sent her prized Duran Duran button collection, in pristine condition from the 1980s! Absolutely amazing.
This was labor intensive. Every keyboard needed disassembly. Every item needed ‘breaking down’ for usability. Round items needed cutting in half. I had thousands of pieces of people’s personal history.
Next came lettering. The library picked the font and I started building and measuring.
I secured them for hanging safety.
Next, the hard part. Assembly. I had to balance ‘random’ and ‘continuity.’
Each tiny piece for every letter, each placement decision, required precision. This took about 4 months of drilling and a LOT of glue.
I allowed some donors to attach their own items.
After completion, the letters were varnished and left to dry. Days later it was time for delivery. The letters weigh about 85 pounds each.
Finally, installation.
And the final:
Thank you, San Marcos, and Friends of the San Marcos Public Library! San Marcos is incredibly lucky to have an amazing library committed to community and public art!
CHRISTOPHER BARNETT 