Leaning Keep: Brian David Dennis
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Leaning Keep was a temporary site specific sculpture situated between the first and second floors of the Philadelphia Art Alliance building. Incorporating the stairs and the stained glass window located on the mezzanine level, Dennis erected a series of support beams used to hold a thin screen of kraft paper, mylar, and metal leaf located in front of the window. The wall both filtered and obstructed the light that normally enters the stairwell through the stained glass, metaphorically posing the question to the viewer: "can the light of Liberty shine at all if it is shrouded in security measures?"
Inspired by his own concerns regarding freedom of expression Dennis addresses several thematic issues through the construction of his installation piece: safety and security through the erection of a temporary constructed environment; the link between personal expression and democracy; and the new politics of liberty and democracy in post-9/11 society. Through this installation, Dennis addressed the concerns of many contemporary artists in social and economic climate of the time by focusing on the right to free expression and the erosion of the First Amendment. Daunted by the initiation of the Patriot Act as public policy, Dennis felt that those issues were not only relevant to artists but to every citizen.
In conjunction with the Philadelphia Public School System, the Caldwell created a formal educational guide for high school students entitled “At Liberty: Creativity, Citizenship, and the First Amendment.”
In addition, the Caldwell collaborated with the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) to provide a two-part public lecture series:
October 20, 6 p.m. "Censorship and Propaganda Today" Speaker: Joan Bertin, Executive Director, NCAC.
October 27, 6p.m. "Censorship and the Politics of Fear" Speaker: Svetlana Mintcheva, Director, Arts Program, NCAC.
Support for Leaning Keep was provided by The Philadelphia Foundation, PNC Bank and Citizen’s Bank.
