Jan Tichy presents a site-specific installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). Made out of copper pipes and light fixtures, the project explores how power and water grids connect communities in an urban environment, and particularly, in Detroit. In collaboration with teen groups and the general public, Tichy facilitates a community dialogue to inform the direction of the exhibition, sparking discussions around clean water as a human right and in relationship to class. The participatory nature of the project aligns with the artist’s concept of social formalism, that asks: How do artists address social issues with formal tools like abstract art? The project is also an extension of the artist’s 2014 installation, “Beyond Streaming: A Sound Mural for Flint,” at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, which consisted of thirty listening stations where visitors could hear audio tracks made by high school students from Flint and Lansing about the Flint water crisis.
Installation view of All Monsters, a site-specific installation by Jan Tichy at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD).
Installation view of All Monsters, a site-specific installation by Jan Tichy at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD).
Installation view of All Monsters, a site-specific installation by Jan Tichy at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD).
Installation view of All Monsters, a site-specific installation by Jan Tichy at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD).