Every generation or so, a new key idea (and buzzword) grips the imagination of an entire population of creatives. There are whole schools of thought, for example, that dedicated their work to such concepts as endurance, body, memory, identity, performance-video, site-specificity, or collaboration. Outliving the fleeting nature of art fashions, many of these investigations evolve and recur, appearing in the most delightfully unpredictable – and sometimes mainstream – of manifestations. Such as: the feats of David Blaine, the videos of music group OK Go, flash mobs that occur worldwide, the Internet trend of “planking”, and the unlikely yet sensible pairing of cellist Yo-Yo Ma with street dancer Lil Buck.

Along with these expressions, the new millennium also has arts leaders deeply re-thinking location, both physical and virtual; as a vehicle equally for commerce and culture; in terms of architecture as well as inhabitants. Here we have the beginnings of a very interesting dialogue that is commonly referred to as Placemaking. And like any practice, this exploration stands to present in a multitude of exciting variations, informed by countless elements – among them, certainly locality.

For Intersection for the Arts, relevancy to neighborhood has always figured prominently in its creation and outreach processes. It’s especially core to the organization today since its April 2011 move from San Francisco’s Mission District to a somewhat still undefined part of town. An area that to one person may be South of Market, to another, Downtown, and still to others, Mid-Market, each possessing its own persona and way of life. As curator, Kevin Chen points out, this space in-between, this yet unexplored territory “breeds the possibilities and that’s just the beautiful thing.”

Hear more when you press play in the video above.

In a continued exploration of place and dialogue, hundreds of people from the 5M residence and surrounding areas experienced the live reshaping of time, space, and community. Erika Chong Shuch, choreographer, director, and also resident artist at Intersection for the Arts, recently took on the challenge of transforming our new office space in the San Francisco Chronicle Building into a theatrical experience. Rather than neglecting the makeup of the architecture, she incorporated it into the story.

Her show, “Sitting In A Circle”, opened in the setting of an office. Strangers (patrons and performers) attended a mysterious meeting under the harsh fluorescence of the room. And as the narrative moved forward, the atmosphere morphed and the veil between audience and actor thinned. The facilitator, who burlesked motivational speakers and therapists, guided the group through an interactive, roller coaster, search for self. By the time the last movement was executed, the final word was spoken, and the tube lights were flicked back on, one walked away with a refreshing feeling of oneness and an all new interpretation of place.

(Photo: Pak Han)