Project Proposal & Objective
The #reconnectUW “conference” involves the creation of collaborative objects made between apparent strangers. Popup workspace and materials will be provided to members of the UW community in the vicinity to participate in making small clay sculptures with each other to be collected for a larger installation.
The primary audience will be invited to the booth with a friendly #helloStranger greeting and will be given a small lump of air dry clay to share with a partner (preferably another stranger, but anyone will do as long as they are willing) that they will be instructed to simultaneously manipulate, but by only using one appendage each (for example squeezing the clay together using only both their right hands), thereby necessitating a casual but intimate physical interaction that mimics the now abandoned ritual of the introductory handshake. Proper precautions will precede all social interactions including requiring hand sanitizing before handling clay, using sanitizing wipes to clean up after the activity, providing gloves to anyone who wishes not to engage in skin-to-skin contact, perhaps limiting interactions to 5 minutes, and of course, masking up.
The completed sculptures will be labeled with the artists’ names/descriptions, dried, and prepped for a hanging display where the secondary audience can view the representations of new and reconnections connected all together on knotted strings, like the construction of a strand of precious pearls. Each one will also be photographed and published on the (re)connectUW website along with documentation of the process for a tertiary audience. The primary audience will also be given information cards encouraging them to access the site and make more (re)connections.
Mission Statement
To use art to foster community in a community of people who largely treat each other like strangers. The climate of the “Seattle freeze” can be a culture shock to those who originate from more interconnected and less individualistic-oriented places. This tendency to ignore strangers on the street and distance ourselves from people unknown to us even in familiar environments has been exacerbated by the lockdowns and necessary social distancing measures taken during the past nearly two years. We are now returning to campus and awkwardly trying to navigate the new normal. As the threat of covid slowly wanes we wish to reduce fear of human interaction and provide an opportunity for members of this community to reconnect in a new way.
To reduce the prejudice, xenophobia, and general stranger anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tendency for humans to avoid interactions with people who are different from us is a result of a behavior immune system consisting of psychological responses evolved to help us defend against the threat of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, that has made it very easy for people to develop attitudes and stereotypes that are harmful, particularly against those in the Asian community during this time.
To reduce stress and increase general wellbeing through the healing power of human contact. Human touch is essential to healthy human growth and development. Touch has been shown to calm the nervous system, slow the heartbeat, lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, and trigger the release of oxytocin. These effects are the greatest felt when connecting with a loved one, but still, occur even with a stranger. Those who are deprived of human contact are more likely to suffer from immune system diseases, ironically the very thing we try to avoid when avoiding human contact.
To demonstrate responsible use of universal precautions during a social activity. Our wish is not to push against the limits of the essential practice of social distancing during a pandemic, but instead to show that it is possible to maintain a level of casual physical intimacy through the evolution of customs and the addition of safety precautions to already established rituals of greeting.
Conference Information
Our (re)connect project was held on Thursday, November 18th from noon to two pm in the Art Building Lobby outside the entrance to the library. We invited passers-by to come and make a “10-second handshake sculpture” where they interacted with a stranger and held their grasp on the clay for at least ten seconds in order to form an imprint. Our “invitations” were loud, boisterous, excited, and possibly a little bossy - it was hard to turn us down! Forty-one sculptures were created during those two hours. People introduced themselves to people they hadn’t met before or had only seen on Zoom. Some individuals interacted with the facilitators of (re)connect and some interacted with other participants walking by. One of the sculpture classes came by and participated in the event. The entire conference was filmed and will be posted on our website https://tfangnuo.wixsite.com/reconnectuw. Currently, the site has a photo of each documented sculpture. Participants spoke of the intimacy of touching a stranger for the first time and that the normal awkwardness of shaking hands, especially after a year and a half of social distancing, was interrupted by the act of ‘doing’ something together - in this case, squishing clay. Participants included SOAAHD students, faculty, and staff as well as a UPS driver, and other students that were coming in looking for Parnassus.
Installation & Moving Forward
The project will live in perpetuity at our website, which will have additional updates including videos and more photos from the day of the conference. The sculptures will be installed on the 2nd floor of the Art Building in the locked case for the winter quarter of 2022. We are currently in the process of glazing the sculptures and determining the best way to install them in the display case. In the spring quarter, we plan on joining up once again to do another conference on the quad when the weather is good. We aim to get larger participation and have our setup more organized to facilitate larger crowds. We don’t feel that this project ends when our class ends. We want to continue the work moving into the future to keep people (re)connecting.
Meet Our Team
Tiffany-Ashton Gatsby (they/she)
Medical Anthropology and Global Health; Interdisciplinary Visual Arts; Diversity
Organizational Motivator, Idea Generator, Cheerleader, Mayhem Manager
Tiffany-Ashton focuses on representing issues faced by the queer-disabled community, including mental health, economic inequality, and social and political dissonance, while examining performativity and perceptions of the intersection of gender and disability. They approach these topics through an interdisciplinary lens, utilizing various mediums and techniques to push back against marginalization and encourage community-based healing.
Fangnuo Tao (she/her)
Interdisciplinary Visual Art; Community, Environment, and Planning; Environmental Science and Terrestrial Management, University of Washington
Web Design, Photography and Video Documentary, Creative Design
Fangnuo has an interdisciplinary background with interests in art, environmental science, and ecological urban planning. She focuses on various types of art media, including photography, printmaking, ceramics, and bookmaking.
By working on the (re)connectUW conference, community-engaged social practice in public arts has become a new passion in creating an equitable and inclusive environment for the community.
Gigi Costello-Montgomery (she/her)
Interdisciplinary Visual Art, University of Washington
Materials Research, Project Design, Exhibition Lead
Gigi is interested in how art can heal and liberate individuals and communities.
She works in various media from printmaking to ceramics and enjoys incorporating "untraditional" materials within her pieces. Her passion is creating experiences that encourage curiosity and exploration.
Brianne Rosen
Art & Psychology Major, University of Washington
Research, Creative Design, Project Mission Statement
A fourth-generation Seattleite and interdisciplinary artist, Brianne, is currently pursuing studies in art therapy, connecting her passions for art and the inner workings of the human mind. With the creation of the (re)connectUW conference, her foray into the social practice art genre has become a new love affair, combining elements of sculpture, sociology, and collaboration to promote healing within her community.