The Hypothetical Development Organization was founded by author Rob Walker, Ellen Susan and G.K. Darby following a brief conversation I had with Rob. He posted a photo of an architectural rendering for a site in New Orleans that was slated to be developed but never was following the economic downturn. In the post he observed that this image was now purely for an imagined future that would never happen and might it be interesting to create a project with those goals in mind to stimulate a reaction from the public.
I offered help in getting the project going at a chance meeting between us and soon following the ‘Museum of the Self’ was created to launch the project and fund a successful Kickstarter campaign. Rob roughly defined the idea and the resulting concept using an existing abandoned site in New Orleans.
This building is located downtown, near various museums and galleries. Hypothetically, it could be the home of a museum dedicated to the most important figure of our time: the self. The entire façade, both windows and exterior walls, would be mirrors. Mounted from the front of the building, and overhanging the sidewalk: a large 3-D sculptural representation of the “thumbs up” icon (the one people click when they “like” your status). This sculpture would function as a suitable public monument; if such monuments (honoring heroes of the Civil Rights movement, or of the Civil War) form a kind of public inventory of what matters to a community, then surely it is time to memorialize abstract strangers approving the Self. You will “like” this museum!
Installation Photos: Morris Brum