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> public:private. a wall hung collection of stolen signs.

Drawing attention to notions of public and private and how we live within a system that is based on a separateness from each other and from our environment, but crucially that these are concepts that are dependent on our thinking, understanding and participation (or not).
‘private property’, ‘no entry’, private land’ etc. etc. (from the UK and Austria). Our land was once all wild, free and common, public. the concept of ownership, of possessions, and then of land has gradually claimed more and more of the earth. this was impossible to consider for the native americans, who understood land as they did sky or sun (How can you own the earth quote). Our culture can still relate to this - that the air is free and sunlight cannot be owned… but does this begin to show signs of change - we pay no fee or tax when we breathe - and yet we do for our water or are taxed when we produce solar power. Once there was no rent, once there was no land tax, once there was no land ownership, once there was only wild land, the wild and alive earth. Even after the land was enclosed for agriculture and largely stolen from the people by the land owning classes (in the name of the public good) there was a concept of ‘common land’ - where all citizens had a right to graze and access - where now is this ‘right’ we have as creatures of this earth to live as we need and see fit - us all born equal to it? It is quite incredible how much we accept as ‘normal’ and ‘okay’, when things were, and could be so different. How much injustice we can tolerate? Inside all these ‘outer' aspects of life, are concepts, ideas, ways of thinking - ‘inner’ things. Acting 'out there' in the world brings a parallel process of becoming ‘active in here’ inside our conscious thoughts. Here is where social sculpture tries to work - in the realms of transformation that can awaken if we can discover the connections between the two.