Continued Set-Up Casa Blanca Library Site

Tensegrity has just arrived for On the Line programming! Tensegrity is a principle by which elements subjected to continuous tension can compose a structure that is self-standing. The elements of the structure are held together by a continuous action similar to the subtle forces that join people in society. So, the structure not only evokes or symbolizes social connection with its clothesline-inspired shape, it enacts them.

Tensegrity by Nathanael Dorent (architect), Mike Grandaw (construction), and
Manja Van de Worp (nous engineering)

Casa Blanca Library Begin Set-Up

Begin set-up for Casa Blanca Library site Riverside California On the Line

Sunny Day on the East Coast

I took advantage of this sunny day on the East Coast to work on some footage that could  potentially be included with the experiences from the upcoming May 21st On The Line Casa Blance Library Site (Riverside, CA).

La Sierra Library Site - Riverside, CA

US East and West Coast - States' Legislation for Right to Dry

       The Public Raffle proposal offers a universal participation element without including monetary exchange. Instead the raffle offers the opportunity to acknowledge the California statewide legislation for “Right to Dry” that is intended for individuals to aid in energy conservation.

            The California statewide legislation intrigued me, so I investigated laws from my home state, Delaware. I have never been under a residency ordinance that prohibits hanging laundry outside. I have grown-up with the tradition of hanging laundry out to dry and have observed my suburban neighbors in the everyday practice.

            I have done some local research on my neighborhood restrictions that are dated from 1954. These restrictions are recorded with the State of Delaware Deed Records. Restriction number ten is specifically about drying laundry. Below the image shows the wording of the detailed instructions for drying laundry in the backyard. 

            Neither of my adjacent neighbors nor myself uses the portable revolving type of laundry dryers that is specifically mentioned in the description. My clothesline is tied to a tree in the backyard and is attached by an eyehook to the back porch area of my home. My one neighbor has a similar set-up for their clothesline. My other neighbor has old metal T posts that are permanently set-up in the ground to construct laundry lines. Those metal poles were there from my previous neighbor who lived there for many years. The couple that purchased the home recently repainted the rusty poles a bright lime green color and does use the laundry lines. In my neighborhood there have not been any restriction with various forms of laundry lines.

            A 2012 Sightline Institute article argues that outside laundry drying relies on solar energy. While laws in Delaware (Title 29 Chapter 80) allow for roof mounted solar energy systems there are no specific laws for clotheslines. The article refers to the State of Oregon law that voids restrictions on “solar radiation as a source for heating, cooling or electrical energy.” Solar rights in specific US states can include clotheslines as a low-tech version of solar power by the act of hang-drying, which relies on the sun’s radiation to evaporate water in wet laundry.  

             Southern California does have a different climate than the Mid-Atlantic region, especially with the changing of the seasons. 

  On a clear fall day, I rely less on solar drying and more on wind power for my laundry and energy conservation. In the fall season the sun’s heat is less intense in the northern part of the East Coast. Last fall, I was working through very preliminary ideas for the 2016 On The Line submission with video and capturing my wind blown laundry. The included video clip appropriately represents how the change of seasons does affect the everyday practice of drying laundry. 
 

           

 

REFERENCES

California Becomes a “Right to Dry” State! (2015) [Internet], Berkeley, Nolo Law for All. Available from: http://blog.nolo.com/blog/2015/10/16/california-becomes-a-right-to-dry-state/

[Accessed December 8, 2015].

TITLE 29 Chapter 80 [Internet]. Delaware, State of Delaware The Official Website of the First State. Available from: http://delcode.delaware.gov/title29/c080/sc02/ [Accessed March 18, 2016].

Howland, J. (2012) Clothesline Bans Void in 19 States. [Internet]. Seattle, Sightline Institute. Available from: http://www.sightline.org/2012/02/21/clothesline-bans-void-in-19-states/ [Accessed December 8, 2015].  

Lyons, J. (2015) Brown signs bill reversing bans on clotheslines. [Internet]. San Francisco, SFGATE. Available from: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Brown-signs-bill-reversing-bans-on-clotheslines-6560304.php [Accessed December 8, 2015].

Correspondence from Arlanza Library

            The public raffle was part of the March 5^th On The Line one-day event at Arlanza Library in Riverside, California. University of California, Riverside Anthropology major, Edith Macias managed the whole raffle at the Arlanza Library.

            My correspondence with Edith began when I received an email with an attached image of the signage for the raffle.

 

Photo Courtesy of Edith Macia

          Our correspondence continued with me emailing her questions of how she managed the raffle, how was the participatory aspect received by the public, any interesting conversations about the raffle concept with clotheslines or the California state legislation with the “Right to Dry.”

            I intended to incorporate Edith’s experiences into my writing, which was planned to be posted on the On The Line website. This writing was part of my preliminary proposal to aid in the documentation of the background and experiences from the raffle.

            In her email Edith shared with me how she organized and managed the raffle. I was pleased that my proposal was not followed like instructions, but more as a loose structure. One example of the methods Edith used at the Arlanza Library location was that she collected names on paper for the raffle drawing instead of distributing prefab raffle tickets. Edith mentioned how her signage was effective by having the public approach her about what was being raffled off.

            As I began my first stage of writing, the bilingual signage is what provoked more questions about the participatory elements of the raffle. I knew Edith’s experiences came from either her research with the neighborhoods near Arlanza Library or she could have been some how familiar with the area.

            I knew my single author approach was not appropriate, since I did not attend the March 5^th program. From my previous experiences with new media and research with digital humanities, I proposed to Edith and Susan Ossman, Director of On The Line program, that a blog was better suited for presenting the multi-voiced experiences and research from the raffle. Susan and Edith accepted the blog idea. 

            This blog, On The Line 2016 Public Raffle, has been launched to be a collaborative way of writing about the public raffle, while utilizing new media to extend the participatory concept from the public physical location (the library site) to virtual social spaces. 

 

References

Fox, R. ed. (1991) Recapturing Anthropology Working in the Present. Santa Fe, School of American Research.

Lippard, L. (1973) Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object from 1966 to 1972. Berkeley, University of California Press.

Okely, J. & Callaway, H. eds. (1992) Anthropology & Autobiography. London, Routledge.

                   

Pink, S. ed. (2012) Advances in Visual Methodology. London, Sage.               

Considering Library Sites

 
The On The Line exhibits and programming have always included national and global perspectives in conjunction with the Riverside, California community. Residing on the East Coast, I viewed the library as being a common local location that usually is found nationally in urban to rural environments. The library locations offer public accessibility within a community structure. The library sites for the 2016 On The Line program were among the main components that formed the Public Raffle proposal. 



Photo of Arlanza Library Riverside, California. 
Special Thanks to Susan Ossman and the shared Dropbox for On The Line 
 

REFERENCES

Bishop, C. ed. (2006) Participation. London, Whitechapel.

Blair, E. (2013) Beyond Books: Libraries Lend Fishing Poles, Pans and People. [Internet]. Washington D.C., NPR. Available from: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/13/211697593/beyond-books-libraries-lend-fishing-poles-pans-and-people [Accessed August 13, 2013].

Rinehart, R. and Ippolito, J. (2014) Re-collection Art, New Media, and Social Memory. Cambridge, The MIT Press.

Glover, K. (2012) What Popular Culture is Telling Us About Libraries and Why We Should Listen [Internet], New York City, Library Journal. Available from: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/09/opinion/backtalk/what-popular-culture-is-telling-us-about-libraries-and-why-we-should-listen-backtalk/#_ [Accessed February 26, 2016].

 

Preliminary Proposal & Logistics for a participatory element for 2016 On The Line a Riverside, California based program

 

Preliminary Proposal           

I am proposing an open raffle as a participatory element for one of the 2016 On the Line one-day long exhibitions. The raffle concept will be in conjunction with the local community aspect of being held at a specific library site and the celebration of the statewide legislation to hang laundry in California. The raffle can also be viewed as a participatory element toward the engagement with discussion about laundry lines and understanding the On the Line exhibit.

The raffle will offer the opportunity for visitors of the On the Line outdoor exhibit to win the objects needed to personally participate in the statewide legislation. All the basic essentials to dry laundry outside will be the raffle prize. These objects include two packs of wooden clothespins, clothespin bag, a length of clothesline, two metal eyehooks (for hanging the clothesline) and a laundry basket. 

Preliminary Logistics

I am proposing a morning and an afternoon raffle drawing during the timeframe of the On the Line outdoor exhibit. The raffle timeframe can be for a half-hour to forty-five minutes before the drawing of the laundry line essential prize. The reasoning behind a short time frame for each raffle drawing is the timeframe of the one-day event and to include the public/ visitors that will be coming and going from the library site. This allows two chances to participate during the day event.

            The specific raffle times can be included with the marketing of the one-day event. During the event, students from University of California Riverside and/ or event volunteers can hand out free raffle tickets (1 per person) and communicate the prize, time and specifics of the raffle drawing as well as the art to be viewed/ corresponding events. Carrie will provide both prizes and raffle tickets. In addition, she will conduct the raffle drawing.   

Documentation and Archiving

            To document and archive this participatory element of On the Line, I (Carrie) will provide a text concerning the background and the participatory element of the event for the On the Line web presence. I would like to also collaborate with the person in the photo or video role of the exhibition to have images include with my text.