Heather Layton is  Senior Lecturer of Art at Univeristy of Rochester.

 

  

 1.  Why do you refer to your artwork as a form of social intervention?

In the context of my work, social intervention is a form of public art that intervenes with situations outside of the art world. It often looks like social activism and it is often done with the intention of bringing awareness to controversial sociopolitical issues. It is typically designed for a public audience that may or may not be interested in the arts. Social intervention art is not medium specific; it is often concept-driven and it often uses materials that are specific to the issue-a set of laws, a beach in Vieques, a virtual space, a group of people, or a grocery store aisle-to create art that prompts us to view our interactions in a local and global world from a fresh angle. Social intervention art is typically time-specific, site-specific, and it is often ephemeral. It is not a new form of art. It is a genre however, that regenerates its materials and topics at the pace of contemporary culture.

2. What are some historical examples of the arts being used to create peace?

My practice continues to be informed by artists who approach issues of peace and protest from a multitude of angles. Alfredo Jaar, in his project "One Million Finnish Passports" brings public attention to Finland's "zero immigration policy". Suzanne Lacy, in her project "The Roof is On Fire", creates a democratic space for constructive dialogue by pairing L.A. teenagers and police officers in cars on the roof of a high school in Los Angeles.  In the "Mended Spiderweb Series", Nina Katchadourian demonstrates acts of empathy and generosity by repairing broken spiderwebs with red string. Mierle Laderman Ukeles, in a project called "Touch Sanitation", shook hands with 8,500 sanitation workers in New York City, acknowledging the critical contributions that they make to our communities every day. In the "Border Film Project", Rudy Adler, Victoria Criado, and Brett Huneycutt handed out 600 disposable cameras to two groups of people-undocumented migrants crossing from Mexico into the United States and the American Minutemen volunteers trying to stop them-so that we may gain insight into two sides of a single conflict through the eyes of those involved.

3. Do you think Gandhi was an artist?

 Any answer to this question would reflect more upon the term "artist" than on the life and work of Gandhi.  I am not that interested in the circumference of labels. I am far more concerned with the content of a person's ideas and with the implications of his/her actions.

4. Can you briefly describe your next project? What excites you most about this work?

I am currently working on several projects. For the "Global Apology Project", I am writing to every King, Queen, Prime Minister, and President on earth with the message, "I apologize for the times when the United States Government prioritized its economic interests over the needs of humanity. Sincerely, Heather Layton, American Citizen." The envelopes are clear in the name of transparent government; everything that is written on the inside is visible from the outside. For this project, I am most interested in imagining all of the hands that each letter will pass through on the way to its final destination and how each of the people will react-Will the project illicit anger, laughter, support, annoyance, relief, or fear? While I am, of course, hoping to receive some responses, this is secondary to the project.

In another project, "Nine Women, Nine Countries, Nine Dolls, Nine Months", I will collaborate with artists from eight other countries. The idea is that each artist will start with a blank doll. We will then ship the dolls from one country to the next. At each stop, the artist has one month to add something new before passing it to a next artist. I like to imagine that there are parents in every country who are doing their best to raise compassionate, well-informed children and that, with some organization; we can learn to trust and support other people through the visual expression of this common goal.