The (physical) space I chose to photograph is the corner with the hot water dispenser and cooler outside the drawing studio. It’s always cold in ADM and it is the one place I find myself ever wanting to go within the school (at every chance of break between classes we get). I edited the image of the hot water dispenser a bit to reduce the tonal intensity of its red, to allude to the idea of it dispensing warmth to me upon my interaction with it. The picture is however also meant to refer to “spaces” in general that bring me warmth within the school: these include the spaces created by and offered to me from my friends, as well as physical ones I ascribe pleasant memories to.
The alternative virtual space created through the exercise was notably dynamic and expansive as opposed to static and confined, transforming in real-time by admitting cumulative spaces/times posted by my peers (most apparent from the ‘Recent’ page filter and its updates). While my photograph of the hot water dispenser captured only my perspective and connections with the space, the space “on/within/bound to” Instagram revealed those of others in relation to the same space.
The virtual space created was not only a tapestry of different spaces and times, but also of different spatial connections different people made with a single space. These spaces/spatial connections were expressed not only in the photographs posted but also in the comments and responses to one another’s posts. Individuated experiences and expressions of space piece together this space collectively created and shared. The project curiously embodies both the “DIY” and “DIWO” culture—its “DIWO” nature is based upon a “DIY” activity. Perhaps this is my biggest takeaway from the exercise: that “DIWO” does not require individuals to occupy the same physical and psychological space, nor participate in the same activity/action; “Y” and “O” do not need to share an (explicit) interest in co-creation. A collective artwork/entity can be conceived in such an unintentional and spontaneous state.
Maybe any subject and its origin/creation process really, can be said to be a (continuously evolving) product of a “DIWO” culture and set of collective actions—so long as one chooses to view it from such a perspective. Alternatively we could re-evaluate the concept of “DIWO” and more strictly define what it means to do something with others. A stricter definition however, might deny/undermine the presence of others alongside individuals and the possible connections and relations between them, where they are not explicitly designed or observed to be so, and prevent us from discovering subjects as (beautiful) spontaneous and chance co-creations.