In order to reconnect with my memories from Marquette Street, I decided to revisit the idea of creating narratives within a sealed envelope. After surveying various areas of the city, I located 10 specific abandoned structures. I then authored ten narratives and deposited one into each mailbox. These narratives contained fictional stories about 10 fictional characters who had supposedly occupied the abandoned space. The letters took on various forms. Some were simple descriptions of the protagonist. Others contained elaborate narratives about the character’s background, upbringing and standard of living. With each letter, I attempted a new variation on what had been authored previously.
The goal of these letters was to reanimate the city of Detroit. Obviously, this is a dubious challenge for a single artist. Nevertheless, I wanted to develop characters that would conceptually occupy these empty spaces. If it were not possible to have actual occupants inside of these vacant buildings, I would assume the responsibility of developing fictional inhabitants. As is often the case, an artist creates conditions of symbol and metaphor. Indeed, I longed to harness my power as an artist and transform it into an invigorating life force. My ultimate intention was to cultivate inhabitants for the spaces of Detroit - to provide a semblance of the vibrant energy that I experienced as a child. Here is an excerpt from one of the sealed letters:
The last man to occupy this space was the victim of unfortunate circumstances. His name was Marty Incognito. Mr. Incognito descended from a long line of autoworkers. His father, grandfather, three uncles, and two aunts worked on the assembly lines during the early 1900’s.
The car that his father helped to assemble was called “The Motor Town Cruiser.” With the city as its namesake, the MTC was expected to be a top seller for decades to come. Unfortunately, the production of this model was not supported by the Big Three automakers. Not long after, workers were laid off. Eventually, the model was expelled outright. Marty hoped to gain employment on the assembly line, but, instead, became a security guard at the local Ginger Ale plant. For 18 years, he lived in the house that stands before you.
There was a wife. Children soon followed (three to be exact). If you look at the mantle above the fireplace, you can witness the vicinity of Marty’s proudest moment. Leaning against this mantle, surrounded by his family, Marty revealed his plans to purchase a vacation package. Despite years of financial ineptitude, the Incognito family would travel to Daytona Beach for two weeks. They would stay at the Dew Drop Inn and enjoy all the amenities that the travel lodge had to offer (beach, pool, ping pong, tiki bar). Marty and his wife packed the kids into their station wagon. They drove south and made stops in Toledo, Cincinnati, and Atlanta.
After three days of driving, they entered the city limits of Daytona Beach, Upon observing the sunny weather and the beautiful beaches, Marty began to wonder if he would ever find the motivation to drive back to Detroit. Over the next few days, his train of thought was interrupted by a series of unfortunate circumstances. Ultimately, these occurrences were responsible for preventing his return to the Great Motor City…