Pick N’ Place
A participatory installation using reused transparent containers and objects contributed by Pratt students.
A campus collection organized through a repeatable container and a voluntary contribution process.
Developed with Gabriel Barreiros, Pick N’ Place invites participants to place an object in a reused takeout box and optionally record its significance. The boxes provide a common display format while retaining each contribution as a separate item.
- Context
- Pratt Institute · SS434:01
- Semester
- Fall 2023
- Collaborators
- Gabriel Barreiros & Steve You
- Instructor
- Betty Yu
- Material
- Reused clear containers & contributed artifacts
- Status
- Participatory collection & installation
Participation method
Participants select an object privately, place it in a container and return it for display. An optional form links a numbered box to a written account.
The method gives contributors control over what they share. Ordinary possessions document student routines, friendships and time spent at Pratt.
Project identity and participation format.
Container and display system
Clear takeout boxes provide an available, low-cost module that accommodates different objects. Their transparency keeps the contents visible, and repetition establishes a consistent display structure.
Reusing the containers extends the use of a disposable material. Model-making remnants, gifts and tools can be exhibited within the same format.
Collection and documentation
Contributions refer to memory, friendship, daily routines and model making. Written accounts connect each object to the participant’s reason for selecting it.
The completed installation and project documentation record the collective collection. The design establishes the container, display method and participation process; contributors determine the contents.
Gabriel Barreiros and Steve You, Social Justice Praxis Lab, Fall 2023, Betty Yu, Pratt Institute. Collaborative participatory installation and collection.
