writers’ blocksPUBLIC SPACE INSTALLATIONS FOSTERING DEMOCRATIC ENGAGEMENT

Building the Capacity to Sustain Democracy ......1

The Writers’ Blocks Project ................................3

How the Blocks work ...........................................5

The Questions 2007-2010 ...................................7

2010 Installations ...............................................9

2009 Installations .............................................11

2008 Installations .............................................15

Reading the Blocks ...........................................21

Everyone can have a Writers’ Block .................25

How the project began ......................................27

for more information on the Writers’ Blocks project, please contact:Peter AeschbacherSchool of Architecture & Landscape ArchitectureThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA 16802tel. 814.865.0685pja12@psu.edu

2010 WRITERS’ BLOCKSUNIVERSITY PARK Alex Thomson, Jon Zang

PENN STATE BRANDYWINE Patricia Hillen

PENN STATE MONT ALTO Andrea Christopher, Kira Hammon

2009 WRITERS’ BLOCKSPROJECT BUILD TEAM Michael Shamalla, Christian Horn

2008 WRITERS’ BLOCKSPROJECT ASSISTANTS Kelly Gross, Ryan Pyatenko,

Sarah Portet & Rebecca Rothenberger QUESTIONS PROVIDED BY STUDENTS OF FIRST YEAR COMM SEMINAR: POPULAR MUSIC AS COMMUNICATION; FIRST YEAR POLISCI SEMINAR: THE 2008 ELECTION; FIRST YEAR CAMS SEMINAR: DEMOCRACY & CRISIS IN ANCIENT ATHENS; AND STUDENT MEMBERS OF ECOACTION, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL; AND DEMOCRACY MATTERS.

2007 CONSTITUTION DAY INSTALLATIONSIllicit Lit Lounge Kelly Gross, Rob Scott, Erika Juran, Hyun LeeWriters’ Blocks Ryan Pyatenko, Trevor Berreth, Kelli Lieb, Kendra Matusiak Perspectives on Alexis Paulovich, Andrew De Morias, Craig Bastin, Pat Vandenbergthe Death Penalty

Generous and continued support provided by the Penn State Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy. Penn State’s annual celebration of the Constitution is fostered by a partnership among the Office of Undergraduate Education, University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), and engaged students, faculty, and staff throughout the university.

This publication is available in alternative media on request.Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity and the diversity of its workforce. The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Lois Rice, Office of Undergraduate Education, 417 Old Main; (814) 863-1864 in advance of your participation or visit. U.Ed #UGE 11-09

The American Constitution re-imagined the world. Recognizing a union

of “We the People,” the Constitution pledged unprecedented deference

to the People’s individual liberties while demanding heretofore unimag-

ined obligations to the social contract -- the political duty to engage as

citizens by utilizing the freedoms of speech and the press, the agency of

elections and the separation of powers in government, and the rights

of peaceful assembly and petition for a redress of grievances to “secure

the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and our Posterity.”

No university or college task is more important than helping students

to understand the nation’s plan of government and their role in it.

Jeremy CohenAssociate Vice President and Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Director of the Laboratory for Public Scholarship and DemocracyPenn State University

Building the Capacityto Sustain Democracy

1

The Writers’ Blocks are a series of installation works which

foster debate and engagement with in public spaces.

Originally created by Peter Aeschbacher and his students

at Penn State University’s Department of Architecture, the

project has been developed into a system for everyone to

use, easily constructed from commonly available materials.

All that is needed for a provocative intervention in the

public sphere is imagination, plywood, and chalk!

Students generated the Writers’ Blocks in their first year design studio.

They sought to make the Constitution’s challenges and obligations

relevant to their – and to our – understanding of the arts of liberty.

Their success is a tribute to the framers confidence in the necessity of

public participation in the nation’s political affairs in order to “form

a more perfect Union, establish Justice, provide for the common defense,

promote the general Welfare, and Secure the Blessings of Liberty . . .”

We invite you to use Writers’ Blocks in your own classes and across

your college or university to sustain the capacity for democracy within

each new generation.

An original Block from 2007

THE WRITERS’ BLOCKS PROJECT

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HOW THE BLOCKS WORK

1. Early one morning, the blocks suddenly appear in public spaces.

3. Two colors of sidewalk chalk stand ready: one for ‘YES’, the other for ‘NO’

4. The illicit thrill of writing on public artworks

proves irresistable and by day’s end, the blocks are covered in messages, arguments and proclamations.

5. Then, as suddenly as they came, the blocks disappear...

From a distance, the blocks appear as intriguing sculptures

Moving closer, the relative coverage of the two chalk colors read as an overall opinion poll...

...inviting your own rebuttal, comment and participation.

2. Each block poses a question.

5

THE questions 200920072007

20102010

20082008

Should the Ten Commandments be posted in public spaces?

Should women be restricted from certain positions in the military?

Is federal funding for abortion a violation of the Constitution?

Do you feel that the war in Iraq is justified? Is intolerance of the 9/11 mosque fundamentally un-American?First Amendment, freedom of religion

Can the right to carry a gun be balanced with public safety?Preamble “promote the general Welfare” Second Amendment “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms”

Is torture justifiable?

Should freedom of speech protect aggressive religious preaching on campus?

Are you a good citizen if you don’t vote?

Does money = political power?

Do politicians really serve the people?

Do environmentally sustainable lifestyle changes infringe upon personal freedoms?

Should creationism and/or intelligent design be taught alongside evolution in public schools?

Should teachers be allowed to express their own political views in the classroom? First Amendment, freedom of speech

Should states be obligated to make higher education affordable to everyone? Article 1, Section 18, Clause 18: “Necessary and Proper Clause”

Should all men and women be required to do national service? YES: Article 1, Section 18, Clause 18: “Necessary and Proper Clause”; NO: Thirteenth Amendment

Should vitriolic bloggers be subject to libel suits? First Amendment

Should people convicted of domestic violence be prohibited from owning firearms? Second Amendment

Are there any conditions under which schools should be allowed to conduct strip searches? Fourth Amendment

Should students, faculty and staff be required to get N1H1 flu shots? NO: Fourth Amendment; YES: Article 1, Section 18, Clause 18: “Necessary and Proper Clause”

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“Is intolerance of the 9/11 mosquefundamentally un-American?”

“Can the right to carry a gunbe balanced with public safety?”

PENN STATE MONT ALTO

PENN STATE BRANDYWINE

PENN STATE MONT ALTO

8 9

2010 INSTALLATIONS

2009 INSTALLATIONS

“Should all men and women be required to do national service?“

“Should teachers be allowed to express their own political

views in the classroom?”

“Should students, faculty, and staff be required to get N1H1 flu shots?“

10 11

“Should states be obligated to make higher education affordable to everyone?“

“Should people convicted of domestic violence be prohibited

from owning firearms?“

“Are there any conditions under which schools should be allowed to conduct strip searches?“

“Should vitriolic bloggers be subject to libel suits?“

2009 INSTALLATIONS

13

2008 INSTALLATIONS“Is torture justifiable?”

“Do politicians really serve the people?”

“Does money = political power?”

14 15

2008 INSTALLATIONS

“Are you a good citizen if you don’t vote?”

“Should creationism and/or intelligent design be taught alongside evolution in public schools?”

16 17

2008 INSTALLATIONS“Should freedom of speech protect aggressive religious preaching on campus?”

“Do environmentally sustainable lifestyle changes infringe upon personal freedoms?”

18 19

reading the blocks

“Is torture justifiable?”

20 21

“Should creationism and/or intelligent design be taught alongside evolution in public schools?”

reading the blocks

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72o

60o

45o

A primary goal of the 2008 Writers’ Blocks project was to develop a simple way of building the blocks from commonly available materials so that anyone, anywhere could have Writers’ Blocks.

Following on the successful public engagement of the 2007 blocks, the basic concept remained unchanged, but the blocks were envi-sioned as being more scultptural. A scale kit-of-parts with connec-tors was developed and tested with a group of high school students attending an architecture summer camp at Penn State. The parts were made of single-ply chipboard [a kind of cardboard] and scaled at 1”=1’-0”.

From the kit models, full-scale panels were easily cut from 4’x8’ sheets of 5/8” plywood. The scale connectors provided fixed angles, and these were replicated at full-scale with off-the-shelf furniture hardware and wood screws. Finally, the panels were painted with flat black house paint. Installation and deconstruction by teams of 2-4 students were completed within a half-hour for each site.

EVERYONE CAN HAVE A WRITERS’ BLOCK

24 25

The original Writers’ Blocks were one of three installations created by first-year Penn State architecture students for Constitution Day 2007.

The other two installations were the Illicit Lit Library, an alternative reading lounge of banned books [with the spicy bits marked] installed outside the uni-versity’s main library; and Perspectives on the Death Penalty, an installation that used movement and perspective to illustrate the ways in which debate builds or demolishes viewpoints.

In all three installations, students were confronted with a topic outside of the field of architecture - democracy as a form of public decision making - and were challenged to make it their own as promising young architects.

In contrast to the extra-disciplinary topic, the design/build project itself was structured to provide an experi-ence of the full range of architectural practice, from site analysis, to conceptual design, construction drawings, permits and eventually, full-scale construction.

The installations for Constitution Day 2007 were supported by the Penn State Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy, the College of Arts and Architecture, and the Department of Architecture.

The projects, as part of Professor Aeschbacher’s first-year teaching, were recognized with a 2008 National Education Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.

The Illicit Lit Library

Students from Dr. Rosa Eberly’s Communication Arts and Sciences classes also helped focus attention on the Constitution’s protection of what were once banned books.

Perspectives on theDeath Penalty

HOW THE PROJECTBEGAN

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