Monument to Sharing

The Monument to Sharing is in the form of an instruction. Brief in language and simple in prose. The monument is less a physical sculpture and more a conceptual sculpture. A performance by the public who is willing to participate, not only within the context of the Los Angeles State Historic Park, but also in the world at large. The installation artwork is a call back to the ancient customs of the land that frames the site. Long ago, before Los Angeles was a small village of settlers, this area along the LA River was a convergence of several major trails and an area where indigenous peoples came to trade. It is a place about connecting. That history is echoed by other famous trade routes, El Camino Real, Route 66 and of course the railways that all connect at Union Station.

The Monument to Sharing is a calling to bring forward what could be described as “trail culture.” It was a custom and due-dilligence of the west to take care of those you meet along the way, the stranger, the passerby. This essential act of kindness is somehow lost on our freeways systems and does not translate well through television or radio. Our connectedness to a place is historic and also immediate in real-time. This call back to a responsibility to be actively engaged and care for the people around is the impulse for the Monument To Sharing.