Kaspar Wimberley

Line of sight

A moment of solidarity

At a given time a line of sight is quietly drawn through the city. Strangers are connected together for a brief moment of silent solidarity, a message that is intimately passed from eye to eye.

Participants align their watches and go to a specific location at an agreed point in time. Here they focus on another participant who can be seen in the distance. This focus is held for approximately 5 minutes. The line of sight is drawn from corner to corner, bouncing and rebounding through the city.

We are taking this project as a starting point for developing further ‘moments of solidarity’, communal acts that link individuals together, cutting through existing boundaries and notions of community and privacy. These brief acts stretch our focus to a point usually outside the perimeters of our living-environment or personal space, altering the relationship we have to the city and its urban community. Line of sight whispers a feeling of solidarity within a moment of stillness.

New lines of sight are being planned for Stuttgart and we welcome collaborative efforts. Numbers help.

Line of sight was first enacted in March 2008 as part of the exhibition Paradise Stories in Liverpool.

treacleonline.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/line-of-sight-liverpool-0308-evaluation

Vergroot

Line of sight, Liverpool.JPG - Planning sight-lines in Liverpool Kaspar Wimberley

“At first I felt a bit daft, especially seeing as we were standing at the entrance to a small car park and a worker came over and asked us if we needed any help, but when we’d sorted all that out, it got a bit easier! I was standing on the corner of Seel and Concert Street, looking towards Fleet Street, and my ‘mirror’ was staring back at me. After the first minute or so when I’d gotten over my initial awkwardness I did get a bit transfixed on the person staring back at me. The city got a lot quieter and the cars driving close by down the street and those avoiding me coming out of the car park didn’t bother me, which was a nice feeling because usually I’m very ‘road conscious’! And there was a feeling of safety in knowing that someone was staring back at me. Thinking about the big idea of the project also made me feel safer, knowing there were a whole string of strangers winding there way through the back streets connected by a simple line of sight, I wished the buildings would disappear so you could see each other, but I suppose that defeats the point of the project and it would only confirm what I already knew anyway. Overall it was a calming experience, which made me feel quite ‘powerful’ and ‘in control’ I suppose it was the network of other people connected to me. It was enjoyable, a little different and made me smile to be part of a little bit of art in the city.”

(Participant, Liverpool, 2008)