We See Change_
Location: Woodstock, Cape Town Client: NA
‘We See Change’ is a creative response to the unprecedented epoch, brought on by COVID-19’s requirements for social distancing and calls for lockdown when communities were physically separated and experiencing vast changes. The project was a call to action for people to express their desires, frustrations and hope for themselves and society, in a time when it was most needed.
In collaboration with ThingKing & David Brits
more after the break ↓
© Amy Gibbings
We See Change is an urban intervention which invites people to send messages for public broadcasting via a dedicated website or SMS/ Whatsapp. These messages are screened on a large, interactive LED billboard seen up to 1km away. The project is a call to action for people to express their desires, frustrations and hope for themselves and society. These messages, screened live and archived online throughout the project duration, reflect on our collective ideas, wishes, and concerns for the world around us.
“I am short, fat, and proud of that.”
“End police brutality”
We See Change is a new approach to making architecture which bridges the physical and virtual realms. It is a public space-making project with an agenda to help foster meaningful exchange. The Project strives towards a middle ground between fixed urban infrastructure and accessible technology to give more people agency in defining and contributing to our built environment. From new ways of city-making to building empathy between neighbours, each new message of change provides another unique engagement and stands as an attempt to hold each other more accountable.
The public nature of the project promotes broad-based understanding and awareness amongst each other in spite of our differences. Messages broadcast via We See Change varied from social and global issues such as the #blacklivesmatter movement to ones which hold local government accountable. Personal messages shared included birthday wishes as well as a marriage proposal!
The simple, yet boldly impactful, project is at different times uplifting, motivational, critical, and fun. The open source nature of We See Change allows us to see past our independent echo chambers and participate in diverse public dialogue. It stands as a largely uncensored platform, omitting only curse words, to engage with, connect, and prompt discourse relevant to the topics of our time.
© Amy Gibbings
© Amy Gibbings
“Be the man you would want your daughter to be with!”
“The way in which we attend to the world changes the nature of the world we attend to.”
© Amy Gibbings
© Amy Gibbings
© Amy Gibbings
“Sian will you marry me”
© Amy Gibbings
We See Change aims not to add to the noise, but rather to act as a signal. It makes space for the individual to say, ‘I count and what I hope for in society matters and should be shared’. As a project collective, it said that we are indeed stronger together. As a local resident states:
“The billboard is a great place to ‘publish’ messages and receive no judgement. It’s brought the community together through shared joy and happiness. We feel unique because this billboard is in our neighbourhood.” Wahaaj Achmat
“Pancakes: 1 egg, 10tbl spoon flour, 500ml milk, 1tsp baking powder 4 tbl spoon oil, 1 tbl spoon vinegar, 1 tsp vanilla essence”
Special thanks to ↓
