The World's First Gas Station Covered in Fabric

Sorry for the terrible layout with the pictures, I really can't figure out how to make them look nicer...


When I first saw this, I was astonished. The whole existence of this piece seems to defy my sense of reality, it's utterly surreal. This piece first confused and amazed me, but upon closer examination it becomes clear that the piece is politically motivated, which only made me like it more.

This may seem more like art than design, but I'm working off the assumption that this piece is a designed protest against oil. I think in this regard, it functions quite well. The concept is simple, and parred down; there are no bells and whistles which makes the message direct and more powerful. This is along the lines of Ockham's Razor, and unnecessary information has been excluded. This piece is also very interesting aesthetically, with many textures and colours working together to create a bizarre beauty. To me, this is a protest that I would be much more inclined to take part in than a picketed rally and it can live on longer through photographs than the latter. I think the fibre covered gas station seems to have a greater impact is because it is beautiful, so it is effective on two levels, like an Edward Burtynsky photo.

The creation of this piece brought together artists and students from over 50 countries world wide, who designed and sent in the squares with which the gas station is covered. I think through this effort they showed the world that dependence on fossil fuels is not merely a North American concern. This collaboration is a very interesting way to show distaste and because it is so bizarre, more people are exposed to it. That being said, this design has been made more accessable because of the internet, and many of the contributors have never been to the site. People can still make their own pieces to send it, since there are plans to do similar projects where ever old gas stations can be procured. I would really love to be able to go to Syracuse, and touch this, and read this and generally enjoy this work. I think creating public art is a very effective form of protest, and here it has been done particularily well.

http://stylefrizz.com/img/syracuse-gas-station-covered-in-fabric-02.jpg
http://www.internationalfibercollaborative.com/assets/images/pJennyHaack.jpg

postscript...

At first I wasn't entirely sure how this design could relate to performance vs. preference, but then I considered the fact that although this design may not be as effective as picketing Texaco, the mode of participation could definitely be seen as preferable by those who participated.