The Henna Project is a medium for exchange. It reflects our - the artists', interest in audiation, storytelling and the private moments of discovery that we each encounter daily, if we are open. Essentially, it is an invitation for people from all backgrounds to publicly, but anonymously, share and exchange words of significance that have been given them by family, friends or mentors that they, in turn, want to pass to a next generation of listeners. An embrace of a personal and intimate kind of oral history lives at its core. A collaboration between a dance artist and a painter, the project is imbued with our sensitivities to movement, experience, environment, rhythm and visual design.
Our collaboration is one of nine projects commissioned by Portland State University's Smith Memorial Student Union Public Art + Residency Project: State of Oregon Percent for Art Program. Smith Memorial Student Union is a tremendously active hub of activity at the heart of PSU’s campus. The building is for and about PSU students, housing the student groups that make up the cultural, political and religious life of this public, urban university. As one faculty member shared, "At any given moment, Smith is the most ethnically and culturally diverse place in the entire city of Portland." Inspired by the opportunity to work with such a broad spectrum of people, we were energized by the commission's request that Smith not only be the site but also the inspiration for our project. The 40+ quotes included in The Henna Project were culled from over 100 conversations that we shared over a three week period with students, faculty, administration and friends. Installed in their original language of transmission, quotes appear in German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Nepali and English. Their placement throughout the five floors of the building is highly composed, reflecting an attention to content and visual poetry. Each quote is accompanied only by its attribution - father to son, godmother to goddaughter, etc...
We want to thank our student assistant - Sandy Sampson, MFA candidate in the Social Practices Program at Portland State, as well as photographer Sam Slater, currently enrolled at the California College of the Arts, for their assistance with the realization and documentation of this project.
This sight allows you to visit the installation - virtually, in several forms or to view and print site maps to walk the project on your own. We hope that you will consider contributing.
