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Common Ground is a collaborative drawing installation that explores mental health through shared understanding and connection. In a time of division and uncertainty, this work fosters a visual dialogue about the spaces where our experiences, desires, and struggles intersect.

Through layered drawings and text, we examine how finding common ground can support mental and emotional well-being. The act of drawing—rooted in patience, repetition, and discovery—reflects the ongoing effort to nurture empathy and connection. Each mark becomes a gesture of understanding, balancing individual identity with collective belonging.

The invitation to participate: Common Ground invites viewers to engage with their communities, recognizing that well-being is cultivated through shared stories and connections. We welcome you to contribute your marks and words, adding to the collective narrative of memories, sacred spaces, favorite places, and relationships.

Participants: This project was created in support of and in conjunction with the 9th Annual International Women in Diplomacy Conference in Los Angeles, CA. It was presented and sponsored by Honorary Consul of Senegal, Mame Toucouleur Mbaye, in partnership with a creative team from the Department of Art at Brigham Young University. Over sixty people participated directly by adding their drawings to the wall.

IN A NAME, a fragment from the famous lines, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." --From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Project Statement

In response to Shakespeare’s timeless query, “What’s in a name?”, we assert that a name holds profound significance, encapsulating a personal history that shapes one’s identity and societal place. Contrary to reducing individuals to mere labels, this project aims to explore the transformative power of names in fostering empathy and connection.

At its core, this project addresses contemporary challenges to civility and human interaction. In an era marked by societal divisions, it seeks to reintroduce respect and civility through the act of personal introduction. Participants were invited to share the origin, significance, and meaning behind their names in recorded video introductions. These narratives were gathered through mutual acquaintances, creating a web of personal connections that span diverse demographics including age, gender, ethnicity, belief, and economic status.

The physical installation centered around audio sound bites from each participant and over 1000 polaroid images, presented in a format designed to honor each participant’s unique story. The polaroid images are installed in numerical sequence on the walls with the audio playing quietly, filling the room with only one voice audible at any given moment—a deliberate reflection of the respect accorded to each speaker. This setup invites viewers to appreciate the diversity of individual identities while recognizing shared human experiences.

Fundamentally, this project posits that sharing one’s name is an act of transformation—from anonymity to familiarity, from isolation to community. By acknowledging each person’s history and belonging within a broader social fabric, we aim to inspire greater mutual respect and understanding among participants and viewers alike.

“My father is loosing his hearing. Many of the sounds that I hear are no longer a part of his daily experience. Many of these lost bites are sounds of comfort and familiarity. Other sounds are designed to give warning or instruction. All of these sounds are becoming lost to him and he is left more often to his own thoughts, as even basic conversation is a challenge. This situation has sensitized me to the daily sounds of my life and the larger community in which I live”. Joseph Ostraff

Publicspace(s)

This installation is comprised of sound bites collected from public places located in the greater Phoenix area. These sounds were collected from a variety of public situations including commerce, transportation, play, work, worship, organized activity, and random chaos. Photo images have been collected that document locations corresponding with the sound bites. 

A creative team of artists, friends, and family has worked together to contribute to the collection of over 1000 sounds and images that make up this installation. Midway through the project, we were finding it difficult to grasp the significance of the materials being collected in public places. As we continued to work and to compare experiences it became clearer that no single sound or image would be all that significant, but the larger whole made up of all the parts could do something altogether more revealing. Some things seemed to repeat such as; airplanes that could be heard from all over the basin, the rumble of commuter traffic, and a myriad of different types of fountains creating an elusion of an oasis. We became aware of hums, clicks, buzzes, and the grind that originated from the infrastructure of society. Going to the same places at different times of the 24-hour clock revealed sounds of the user and sounds of the laborer and caretaker. Sounds have an economic value.

From certain vistas such as Hole in the Rock, near the zoo, we became aware of a hum. It was the hum that millions of people living together make as a by-product of all of their doings. This phenomenon is repeated in smaller degrees all over the valley and can be found in the inside-outside effect of a busy restaurant or nightclub or in the roar of a crowd in the sports arena in juxtaposition to the individual cheers and jeers of the people that make up the audience.

It also became clear that sounds of place confirm our position and status, both physically and emotionally, on an on-going daily basis. These sounds become so familiar, that most are sensed on a subconscious level. They are the sounds that confirm that we are in the right place at the right time. It is the unfamiliar sound, or the absences of a familiar sound that may be most unsettling—telling us that we are on foreign ground of sorts.  

Participants: Joseph Ostraff, Melinda Ostraff, Ethan Ostraff, Hannah Ostraff, Peter Everett, Sam Everett, Jacob Everett, John Telford, Linda Sullivan, Ian Sullivan, Jason Metcalf, Denise Metcalf, Wayne Madsen, Rebecca Madsen, Jeff Larsen, Tom Spindle, Christopher Krause, Olivia Juarez, Jane Egan