Blank Canvas
Radicalizing public performance by taking back the streets
Blank Canvas operates within multiple layers of symbolic representation, offering artists a platform to reclaim the streets as truly "public" spaces.
While streets are traditionally viewed as belonging to and funded by the people who live there, they are often subject to restrictive permits and regulations that curtail the organic public nature of these environments—spaces where some of the most vibrant cultural expressions emerge. Blank Canvas challenges the governmental control that often stifles street artists, who are paradoxically celebrated by the same systems for tourism and economic gain. Governments, on one hand, seek to control or criminalize these expressions, while on the other, commodify the resulting culture for profit.
Blank Canvas empowers street performers by establishing a bold claim on public spaces and transforming the streets into dynamic stages. The canvas, draped across the streets, evokes familiar theatrical symbols like the red carpet, the drawing of curtains, and the unrolling of a screen—each element reinforcing the power of the street as a performance space.
In terms of mechanics, the design is intentionally minimal, allowing the symbolic power of the canvas to take precedence over architectural complexity. Its functional components resemble a cart or wheelbarrow, enabling ease of transportation and transformation through extendable rails and a pulley system. These elements allow the canvas to shift from a horizontal orientation, serving as a stage floor, to a vertical plane for projections or a curtain backdrop.
By providing a flexible and adaptable infrastructure—canvas, stage, curtain, and screen—Blank Canvas creates a versatile environment for any type of performance. Its symbolic gesture of reclaiming the streets for festivals and large-scale cultural events enriches the city’s cultural fabric, offering a full return of public spaces to the communities that sustain them.
