Crossroads

"Crossroads" is a sculptural installation that recalls the image and function of a traditional crossroads fingerpost. In the same way that a traditional fingerpost is intended to direct a traveler to his or her destination, "Crossroads" becomes a place where a visitor can find a new sense of direction.

The fingerpost - a signpost with arrows that point to destinations in all directions - is installed in unexpected outdoor locations. On the signs where the viewer would expect to see the names of cities and towns are words describing the different emotions and instincts that a lost person might experience. These words are derived from short audio interviews with everyday people sharing their stories about being lost and sometimes finding their way - a career criminal finds himself on a mission to save the world, while a woman's recount of being lost at the mall as a child ends with a life-changing discovery.

A visitor to the "Crossroads" can listen to these short stories through hanging "tin can telephones", attached to the sculpture by strings. These "telephones" seem to provide a simple and direct line of communication with the storyteller on the other end. The tin cans' strings are wound through and around the arrow-signs - visually describing the connection that the stories carried on those lines have with the emotions described on the signs.

In the same way that a typical signpost provides orientation, this point of communication affords visitors with a means for finding direction and a sense of place. This might occur through a personal connection with a recorded story from a person 2,000 miles away or from a chat with the person listening to a different story beside them.