Public invited to engage with Seven Corners art project
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| An illustration of the INOUT Cube. [surcreative] |
The public is invited to participate in a pop-up art installation project to be installed in Seven Corners this month.
The Imagine Art Here project, titled INOUT, is being launched by the Arts Council of Fairfax County with the Annandale-based artist team known as surcreative LLC.
The project will elicit a vision for the role of the arts in the community and collect feedback from residents, people who work in Seven Corners, and visitors on the type of facilities, public art, and related arts amenities that are desired as part of the redevelopment of the area.
Photo portraits of community members who participate in the project will be projected on an interactive eight-foot, solar-powered cube erected at Arlington Boulevard and Sleepy Hollow Road.
To learn more, the community is invited to a happy hour April 17, 6:30-8 p.m. at the Loren, 6410 Arlington Blvd., Seven Corners. RSVP to [email protected]. There’s also a video that explains what the project is all about.
Community members are invited to engage with the project at photo booth sites throughout the Seven Corners area. Community feedback will also be collected through social media, online surveys, and the installation itself through June 23.
A photo booth designed by surcreative featuring an online interactive questionnaire will be at these sites:
- April 18 – Willston Multicultural Center, 6131 Willston Drive, Seven Corners.
- April 21 – Petsmart, 6100 Arlington Blvd., Seven Corners.
- April 26 – Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, 3159 Row St., Seven Corners.
- April 27 – Dogfish Head Alehouse, 6220 Leesburg Pike, Seven Corners.
- April 28 – Crab Feast, co-hosted by Fire Station 8 in Bailey’s Crossroads, at the Annandale fire station, 7128 Columbia Pike, Annandale.
Community members are invited to share their feedback at any time through an online survey. They can follow the project on Twitter at @INOUT7C, upload photos to Twitter by using the hashtag #INOUT7C, and tag the project on Twitter at @INOUT7C.
The surcreative team includes designers/artists Natalia Brizuela-Pires, Hector Montalvo, Julieta Guillermet, and Edwin Coimbre.
“Our interest in public art grows as a way to merge our passions for architecture, graphic design, music, and photography,” says Guillermet, lead architectural designer with surcreative. “We believe in the power of communicating through art. It is extremely satisfying to know that we are bringing art to the community and making an impact at the same time. Overall, our goal is to evoke emotions, connect with the community, and make you feel part of Seven Corners.”
“We are eager to engage the Seven Corners community in this public art effort,” says Linda Sullivan, Arts Council president and CEO. “We want as many people as possible to let us know how they feel about art in their community.”
The solar panels and battery on the INOUT Cube are provided through an in-kind donation by Ispun Power.
In developing the project, the Arts Council also received support from Fairfax County government; National Endowment for the Arts; Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton, Falls Church; Montalvo-Guillermet Photography; Pat & Steven Macintyre; Silverwood Homes; Transurban, E&G Group; JBG Smith; and Regency Center.
INOUT is the Art Council’s second project in the Imagine Art Here initiative. The first was Tyson Tiles in 2015. The Arts Council is currently seeking sponsors for a third installation in Springfield. Donations will be matched by an NEA Art Works grant. For more information about sponsorships, contact the council at 703-642-0862 x2 or [email protected].
Input from the Imagine Art Here initiative will inform the Master Arts Plan being spearheaded by the Arts Council on behalf of Fairfax County. The goal of the plan is to expand community access to and engagement in the arts and culture by planning cultural facilities and public art throughout the county that reflects its diversity, considers existing facilities, and responds to future growth.
