Ancient measurements of distance were based on the human body. They were calculated in relation to the length of a foot, the length of a stride, the span of a hand, and the breadth of a thumb. Human Scale was produced during the AreaOdeon Explor-Art 2020 program. To produce the urban intervention, I visited the city of Monza, Italy by foot, along a path created by tracing the contours of my hand on the tourist map of the city.
I walked over 25 kilometers, mainly is areas outside of the old town center. At various points throughout my journey, I created stencils based on the hand-shaped image of path. These urban interventions are signposts that say “I was here.” The marks appear on both temporary and more permanent surfaces, and will erode over time. By temporarily claiming abandoned or unused city spaces with a symbol drawn in human scale, and displayed at hand level, I explore relationship between the human body and public space.
During a group exhibition at AreaOdean, I shared documentation including photos of each stencil in situ, a wall drawing, and the touring map on which the project was based.
