Private in Public: Readings

about "Private in Public"

This blog documents the RISD Wintersession class “Private in Public: Creating an Exhibition of the Personal Bubble,” a six-week course taught by Wendy Richmond.

The Personal Bubble is a private, mental zone that surrounds each of us when we are alone in public urban spaces. At times the bubble is a retreat from the city’s chaos, when we withdraw into our cell phones and iPods. Or it is the contemplative zone of museums and libraries—public spaces that are designed to support introspection, creativity and inspiration. And sometimes we are simply lost in thought, sipping coffee in a local café.

Our personal bubbles are shaped by us, and by whatever is around us. But do we really look at the factors —from personal technology to interior architecture to social attitudes — that shape these zones? What determines how individuals share (and do not share) urban public space in the twenty-first century?

The goal of this Wintersession course is to explore these questions, and, under the guidance of the instructor, to create works that will form the basis of a subsequent five-month installation at the RISD Museum New Media gallery (May 25 – November 4, 2012). The exhibition will encourage gallery-goers to consider the diverse facets that affect how we are private in public.

Readings

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