Sometimes when I get a new item, I know immediately that it has to be a part of an installation. That was the case with a set of green binoculars. They didn’t magnify things that much, as they were made for children, but it still provided the idea of focus and observation.

My idea was to put the binoculars on a string, attached to a sign telling people to e-mail me what they saw. This way of thinking is greatly inspired by Keri Smith, who I mentioned is one of my top five inspiring women. It’s so important to take a minute and look for details, similarities, and unique qualities in our lives and environment.

Unfortunately, the binoculars and sign were stolen/taken down almost immediately. That’s the risk I run with these types of installations. I didn’t get any e-mails, so I got to brainstorming about what I might have seen if I had been a pedestrian passing by.

+ a couple kissing each other goodbye
+ an airplane dragging an advertisement through the sky
+ a girl in neon tennis shoes taking her daily jog
+ flakes of paint peeling off an old building
+ a truck delivering boxes of food to a restaurant
+ a flock of birds landing on an electrical wire
+ another pedestrian hailing a cab
+ car exhaust escaping from a tail pipe
+ a construction worker balancing on a roof
+ a mother yelling at her daughter to keep up
+ someone parallel parking their car (poorly)
+ a man selling bottles of water at a stoplight for $1
+ a homeless woman dancing while pushing a shopping cart
+ a car rear-ending another car from following too closely
+ the traffic light changing colors, from green to yellow
+ an artist scrambling to pick up papers flying out of their portfolio

What do you imagine you would see if you took a minute to stop and observe on your city’s street corner?