Final Intervention Project - Veronica Gomez

Steps of Reflection

Concept
Steps of Reflection transforms a public walkway into an interactive mental health journey, using a chalk-drawn path, physical markers, prompts, and collaborative displays. The project creates a space for participants to reflect on their emotions, share unspoken thoughts, and contribute to a collective vision of hope and resilience.

Setup

The Path:
A chalk-drawn path of footprint outlines symbolizes the journey of life, with each step representing a different emotional experience—Anxiety, Grief, Resilience, and Hope.

• Anxiety: "Take a deep breath before stepping forward."

• Grief: "Pause and remember something or someone important to you."

• Resilience: "Take a strong step and think of a time you overcame something difficult."

• Hope: Participants are encouraged to write one thing they’re looking forward to and add it to the Hope Wall at the end of the path.

• Interactive Stations:
  Along the path, stations feature prompts and materials (sticky notes, markers) inviting deeper engagement:

• "Write something you think about but don’t say."

• "Leave a note of encouragement for the next participant."

• The Wall of Unspoken Words:
  At the end of the path, two poster boards extend the experience:

• The Unspoken Side: A space for participants to anonymously share hidden thoughts, fears, or unspoken feelings, prompted by questions like:

• "What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to say but never could?"

• "What’s a fear or worry you’ve kept hidden?"

• The Words of Release: A space for uplifting and empowering messages, encouraging participants to leave notes of hope, advice, or affirmations for others. Prompts include:

• "What advice would you give to someone carrying a heavy heart?"

• "Share a mantra or affirmation that helps you through tough times."

• "What does mental health mean to you?"

Audience Interaction
Participants engage with the project through physical and emotional actions:

• Walking the Path: Each step invites reflection, grounding participants in their emotions and personal narratives.

• Writing and Sharing: Sticky notes offer a way to contribute anonymously or publicly, balancing vulnerability with collective empowerment.

• Reading and Connecting: Participants read the growing collection of unspoken thoughts and affirmations, fostering empathy and shared humanity.

Goals

• Raise Awareness: Make mental health struggles visible and approachable.

• Foster Connection: Create a space where participants can share their emotions, see themselves in others’ experiences, and feel supported by their community.

• Encourage Reflection and Healing: Guide participants to confront their emotions, release hidden burdens, and focus on hope and resilience.

• Promote Collective Empowerment: Use shared contributions to create a powerful visual and emotional representation of community strength.

Why It Works in Public

• Accessible Participation: The simplicity of the setup invites spontaneous engagement.

• Physical and Emotional Impact: Walking, writing, and reading encourage active participation, grounding individuals in their reflections.

• Community Transformation: As the path and wall fill with footprints, notes, and affirmations, they become a living testament to resilience and hope.

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Intervention Through Reflection
Steps of Reflection actively engages participants in a shared experience that breaks down emotional barriers like anxiety and grief, while fostering resilience and hope. By guiding participants through actions like breathing, remembering, reflecting, and sharing, the project intervenes in personal narratives, creating a space for healing and connection. The Wall of Unspoken Words serves as a symbolic and physical intervention, transforming hidden struggles into a collective message of empowerment and strength.

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Inspirational Artists and Projects

• Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece: Ono’s vulnerability and audience interaction inspired the emotional openness in my performance. Her work challenges the boundaries between artist and audience, promoting an intimate experience that fosters reflection on personal emotions and societal issues.

• Marina Abramović – The Artist is Present (2010) Abramović's performance involved her sitting silently at a table in the Museum of Modern Art, inviting members of the audience to sit across from her and engage in silent, intimate eye contact. The vulnerability in this performance stems from the artist's complete openness and emotional connection with the audience. This raw emotional exchange echoes the concept of creating a space for personal reflection and emotional release in your project, as it challenges both the audience and the performer to confront their feelings and thoughts without verbal communication.

• Tania Bruguera – Tatlin's Whisper #6 (2009) Tania Bruguera’s performance involved a direct interaction with the public, where participants were invited to step up to a microphone and speak their truths, often about political repression and personal struggles. This performance is similar to your Wall of Unspoken Words station, as it invited emotional vulnerability and self-expression in a public space. The audience’s willingness to voice their unspoken truths mirrors the openness you aim to foster in your interactive installation.

• Sophie Calle – The Hotel (1981) Sophie Calle's performance involved her photographing and observing the personal belongings of guests at a hotel, along with her written reflections. She invited the audience into the intimate world of others' emotional states through objects and spaces. Similarly, your project invites participants to share their personal stories and feelings through the Wall of Unspoken Words and the Words of Release station, allowing for vulnerability and connection through shared experiences.

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Class Readings and Quotes

• Steve Duncombe and Steve Lambert, The Art of Activism:

• "Activism is not about convincing people to agree with you. It is about creating conditions that allow people to see things differently, to make them feel differently, to change their perception of themselves and the world."

• "The goal of art is not to make people think but to make them feel. The goal of activism is to make them act. Art and activism together can make them do both."

• Kimberly Drew, This Is What I Know About Art:

• "Art can be a radical act, offering a space to reflect on our emotions, our struggles, and our shared humanity."

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Research Resources

• "Promoting Mental Health Awareness in Philly with A Yarnbomb" - StreetsDept
  This piece discusses a yarnbomb installation in Philadelphia aimed at raising awareness about mental health, demonstrating how public art can foster community dialogue and support.
  Link

• Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak
  Palmer’s emphasis on self-reflection and understanding one’s inner struggles aligns with the project’s goal of encouraging participants to pause, reflect, and grow through interactive prompts.

• "On the Design of Interactive Art for Healing"
  This article examines how public interactive installation art can serve as a therapeutic tool, helping individuals process emotions and alleviate stress.
  Link

• Steve Duncombe and Steve Lambert, The Art of Activism: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible
  Duncombe and Lambert emphasize participation, emotional impact, and accessible public engagement. Steps of Reflection aligns by transforming a public walkway into an interactive journey, encouraging reflection, connection, and empowerment. It uses art as an intervention, fostering empathy and reshaping mental health narratives through collective experiences of hope and resilience.

• The Greater Good Science Center, The Science of Gratitude
  This research-based guide highlights the psychological benefits of expressing gratitude and sharing affirmations, which directly influenced the Words of Release station in the project.
  Link

Watch the performance here: [Link to the video].