Message in the Environment
Art Center College of Design Sinclair Pavilion, 25 ft x 2.5 ftTypographic installation consisting of approximately 3,600 toy soldiers, each an inch and a half tall. “YOU GO GIRL” was chosen because from afar, the quote seems trite - something thrown around daily, casually said at a softball game or to calm someone’s nerves right before a big event. But if the viewer is curious enough to walk up the hill and take a closer look, they will discover that each letterform is constructed of a team of army women, each individually spray painted hot pink and strategically laid out on the landscape.
The installation required maintaining mental strength, endurance, patience, and dedication to do whatever it took to make a valued statement seen. It manifested in myself exactly what I intended to portray to the public about strong, independent women. Society often sees women being physically built to not as strong as men. But strength is a measure of not only physical but also emotional power, and women throughout history have excelled in both categories.
In 1994, the Ground Combat Exclusion policy officially banned women from serving in combat, but the issue remained a back and forth controversy over the years.
Coincidentally, the installation relevantly took place around the same time Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta removed the military’s ban on women serving in combat, recognizing that women are just as, if not more, adept in strength and power to fight for their country.Stay tuned for a time lapse video coming up in the next few weeks!
On the Fence
Brian Rea
Term 05 Spring 2013
very cool
(via stacygirlfren)
