What are the first thoughts that come to mind when you hear about the country of Iran? It’s regularly in the news, and many times not necessarily for positive reasons.
Pittsburgh-based artist Jon Rubin is asking passersby in Downtown Columbus to reevaluate those thoughts through a newly installed public artwork piece on East Broad Street called “The Time and The Temperature”. The piece electronically displays the current time and temperature in Tehran, the capital of Iran where more than 12 million people live.
The sign is similar to those commonly found in front of banks or churches that display local time and temperature, but the new installed piece asks viewer to project themselves to a foreign place and to take stock of how we view our own history and future through the lens of global affairs.
“The Time and The Temperature” is the latest public artwork piece installed in the “Finding Time: Columbus Public Art 2012” series, and will be visible through the Spring. While on display, public forums will be held at the Trinity Episcopal Church (located adjacent to the installed sign), with cultural, religious, academic and political leaders holding discussions on the issues at stake in US and Iranian relations. The first forum will take place on January 30th from 5:30 to 7:00pm.
Additional information can be found online at www.ColumbusPublicArt.com.
