For many months I had made a common assumption. It appeared to me that after years of promises the city was installing traffic lights along S.E. 27th Street. Black poles went up, connections made, large steel cabinets were installed and what I foolishly thought to be lights were covered in black plastic, but now I know the truth.
As time went by I began to think that what appeared to be lights were in fact fascinating elements of public sculpture. It wasn’t until I ran across a website for an English prankster, one Neville Lightfoot, that I truly came to understand the jest! Neville has become infamous in London for installing false mailboxes. They appear to be real but would not open, and the joke was on any citizen with a letter. Ha!
Like all great art, this is about the intersection between expectations and assumptions, between what we see and what lies beyond. Traffic gets worse and we think we see what appears to be traffic lights being installed and we are struck suddenly that we have been had. Jolly good!
And to top it off, these so-called lights actually have cameras mounted on top and so we come to realize that we’re not only engaging with this new art form but the art is actually watching us!
We live in a community that embraces public art. Hats off to the Mercer Island City Council and the Arts Commission. As you creep toward the stop signs, wave to Neville and the City Council. Well done!
Geoff Spelman
