accessing nostalgia

location: Columbus, IN

date: 2024-present

type: public installation

role: designer

The 136-year-old Crump Theatre is a vessel that holds the collective memory of Columbus, one that is illuminated with the projections of a not-so-distant past. Accessing Nostalgia creates new apertures, literally and metaphorically, within and around The Crump that allows a creative nostalgia to be projected; a nostalgia not for historic reenactment, nor for historic revision, but one that searches for a past perfect that can point to an idealized future. The apertures, or portals are an attempt to peel away and gaze at parts of the building that demonstrate how it has reinvented itself over its history, and how it can continue that pattern in a way that expands its access to arts and culture.

The recent preservation efforts demonstrated by its diverse community of supporters show that The Crump is valued as something other than an obsolete piece of real estate. It shows that it is part of a bigger trajectory and narrative that says this is a community that values arts and culture and will prioritize this in a way that treats its built environment as an active member of that community.

Organization: Exhibit Columbus