Remember when I mentioned interactive art projects as one of the things I missed when I was in Cambridge? I now walk by an installation every day, on my way to the tube station.
A Million Minutes is an arts initiative in Archway and Finsbury Park. New projects have been showing up in a shop window close to Archway tube station every few weeks. Yesterday, there was something new.
“A Record of Wishful Thinking” starts with a sign that says “Please contribute your wishful thoughts on this window”.
Pens on string dangle in front of the shop window, and passers-by can leave messages.
I stopped twice, yesterday morning and tonight, and both times the installation was unattended. Yesterday morning a girl walked up as I was taking photos, and signed her name on the window, but lots of other people did read the instructions.
Here are a few of the wishful thoughts that people wrote on the window yesterday and tonight. It’s interesting to see the different interpretations of “wishful thinking”:
“I wish that everyone could have amazing super power”
“everyone to be happy & it to be sunny”
“I wish the US arms trade would stop destroying our world”
“I wish good health for myself and my family”
“eliminate poverty, oppression, unnecessary illness, exploitation, greed, violence everywhere”
“to be near an ocean away from it all”
“keep my friend Joyce safe in Cyprus”
“to move mountains”
“to have more flowers in Archway”
“classes to teach many skills to people which can enrich their personal development”
The thoughts will be used as the basis for an animation, which will be screened in the shop window on March 28. I haven’t left anything myself yet. Still thinking. Some of these are hard to beat!