Untitled 1::: The Dream :::
Anna Gonick

Space is almost always framed for us; we live in spaces that are aligned by street signs and freeways, we sit in rooms where furniture is arranged, we drive to get to one place from another, points arranged for us on a map.

After we visited Gary, IN, a place full of abandon, I thought of myself as an activator. We went to places that are not formatted for public use or viewing. We explored spaces that had been left to decay. These are places that were left to drop out of our collective consciousness. For this project, I wanted to continue to explore what activation meant and how to create it.

I spook myself very easily. It felt natural to insert my personal fascination with ghosts into this project. In my investigation of abandoned places in Ohio to film a performance piece, I entered into the online world of the paranormal and ghost seeker community. This notion of the ghost in spaces where people aren’t supposed to go struck me as a way to try to understand the process of abandonment. I wanted to bring forth these anonymous bodies that once occupied the space in an effort to try to recreate a memory. This memory translated into my own dream.

It is difficult to make any conclusions about what places like Gary mean for the changing landscape of the United States.Putting aside my tendency to assume, put things into a pattern, try to make sense, I allow myself the freedom to attempt a pure artistic reaction and hope to ignite something in the viewer. Trying to remember a space ignored by the collective consciousness is an act of resistance. My goal for this piece is to bring the immediacy of memory to the viewer, bestowing the power of “activator” unto them.

Untitled 1: The Dream was filmed at the Midwest Railway Roundhouse in Cleveland, OH. There, a team of volunteers who call themselves the Midwest Railway Preservation Society are working to maintain and preserve this historic industrial landmark and present it as it once was when in operation. For more information please visit MidwestRailway.org.

The artist would like to thank Bill Brown and Don Hook and all the members of Midwest Railway Preservation Society for warmly inviting a group college students in to tour and use their historic facilities. We appreciate the work you do!