Project managing an art installation like Raise/Raze requires wearing multiple hats. There is the Studio Critic hat - teaching each new wave of volunteers how to make the thousands of cubes we need to build the installation, and doling out some tough love when they do it wrong. There is the Cheer Leader hat - keeping everyone focused and enthusiastic despite working in a cold underground space with bad light and no bathrooms. Then there are all the ancillary hats required to get the space ready. These include, but are not limited to: electrician, lighting designer, carpenter, engineer, pest "management" (sorry rats), it goes on.

One thing is clear, expecting a random assortment of volunteers to have the skills required to make art, however simple and straightforward, was a bit naive. In the early days, we created a series of jigs to expedite the process. But after the first week of volunteer production (25-30 volunteers a shift for 2x2hour shifts on weekdays + 4x2 hour shifts on weekends = 400-500 people per week...each needing to be taught anew) we realized we needed something on the order of Ikea assembly instructions, in audition to our own verbal explanations. Josh and Nancy created the requisite documents:

Here are the jigs in action:

And still, there were lots of rejects....

Going into the final week, though, we are pushing 12,000 cubes, and we are Raising Raise/Raze!...

last two photos courtesy BYT (thanks guys!)