The Arcade

(2001)

September 2001: the Arcade, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Playing Detective (2001) was the result of a residency in the Convergence International Arts Festival, a unique event managed by Director Bob Rizzo for over 15 years. From hundreds of photographs of unidentified sitters found in Rhode Island’s libraries and antique shops, seven were printed life size onto open silk banners. They were exhibited in America’s oldest shopping mall, the place where several portraits were originally made. The eighth portrait was a ‘fake’ featuring two contemporary Rhode Islanders: Lynne McCormack, who worked at the Arcade, and her daughter Maya Chin. For those that spotted a familiar face, this was a visual acknowledgement of those family histories missing from the archives.


Thanks to Bob Rizzo and the now defunct Caparts

To see how this experience informed future directions Question for Seller and unknownsitter.com