Benjamin MonetteTerritoryMannequin, deer mask, old clothes.The practice of saving parking spaces reminds me of the Greek myths of Theseus and the Minotaur: the eternal struggle between rational human thought and our more beastly instincts. To celebrate the way space saving captures our animal instincts, I created the urban wildlife space saver called Territory. I contrast wildlife and human mannequins in Minotaur-esque combinations to call attention to and reflect our own human behavior. Conceptually, I understand that we do not own the parking spaces we claim, yet our animal instinct compels us to mark our territory. There is humor in Territory’s approach. It holds a mirror to the inherent Minotaur-like saving of a public parking space.West Mt Airy Ave, between Germantown and Bryan: I was a bit apprehensive the second I backed away from where I set up my space saver. As the day progressed, I realized that this piece was much more of a personal reflection than I initially thought. Some of the folks hated the idea of “space saving”, some embraced it, many had self imposed etiquette and rituals that justified their space saving. In all honesty, I fit squarely  into the “saving with self imposed etiquette” category. Territory wears my old clothes, holds my old shovel, and we are both space savers.

Benjamin Monette
Territory

Mannequin, deer mask, old clothes.

The practice of saving parking spaces reminds me of the Greek myths of Theseus and the Minotaur: the eternal struggle between rational human thought and our more beastly instincts. To celebrate the way space saving captures our animal instincts, I created the urban wildlife space saver called Territory. I contrast wildlife and human mannequins in Minotaur-esque combinations to call attention to and reflect our own human behavior. Conceptually, I understand that we do not own the parking spaces we claim, yet our animal instinct compels us to mark our territory. There is humor in Territory’s approach. It holds a mirror to the inherent Minotaur-like saving of a public parking space.

West Mt Airy Ave, between Germantown and Bryan: I was a bit apprehensive the second I backed away from where I set up my space saver. As the day progressed, I realized that this piece was much more of a personal reflection than I initially thought. Some of the folks hated the idea of “space saving”, some embraced it, many had self imposed etiquette and rituals that justified their space saving. In all honesty, I fit squarely  into the “saving with self imposed etiquette” category. Territory wears my old clothes, holds my old shovel, and we are both space savers.

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