Putting Layers on the Onion

"Putting Layers on the Onion" involves several components and steps:

1. A papier-mâché onion (approx. 2 1/2’ in diameter) is floor mounted in the space. The onion refers to the name Chicago, which is derived from the Potawatomi word for wild onion.

2. A jar of envelopes is next to the onion. Each envelope contains a small piece of paper. Those pieces of paper are different colors and textures (including standard white paper, yellow cardstock, brown “paper bag” type paper, onion skin paper, vellum, etc.). Each piece of paper has an aroma (including vanilla, cinnamon, lilac, lavender, etc.).

3. A set of directions is affixed to the surface of the jar. Those directions read: 1) Think of an image that relates to a specific place in Chicago. This could be something you have seen, smelled, heard, tasted, or felt; 2) Take an envelope out of this jar; 3) Open that envelope and take out the piece of paper; 4) Write a sentence on the piece of paper that combines: a) the sensory memory of Chicago which you just thought about, b) something about the color of the paper, and c) something about the smell of the paper; 5) There are two small glue dots on the back of that piece of paper. Affix your piece of paper to the surface of the onion.

4. When the papier-mâché onion is covered with a layer of pieces paper, a new onion will replace the first onion.

5. Several times a month the “onion layer” contributions will be transcribed, and they will be posted on this blog, so people can find out who has added which layers to the onion.

The Synesthetic Plan of Chicago

2009 is the centenary of the publication of The Plan of Chicago. The Synesthetic Plan of Chicago: A Multi-Sensory Journey Through Chicago and Its Neighborhoods corresponds with the celebration of this historic event. An interactive installation at the Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center (77 E. Randolph Street), The Synesthetic Plan of Chicago is part of the citywide summer tourism initiative, Explore Chicago: Take A Neighborhood Vacation (June 1–September 30). More than 40 artists and organizations have joined in creating this exploration of Chicago through the five senses. Visitors and locals can experience Chicago imagery, sounds, fragrances, flavors and textures captured in miniature neighborhood scenes such as a mapping of the tastes and recipes of Chinatown, and an exploration of East Garfield Park candy. SPC’s participating artists and organizations have designed installation pieces which invite people to interact with the sensory “artifacts” of Chicago in creative and imaginative ways, and to think about synesthetic connections with things that relate to Chicago. The Synesthetic Plan of Chicago is commissioned by the City of Chicago, and it is co-curated by Annie Heckman and Daniel Godston.

Explore Chicago: Take A Neighborhood Vacation showcases the city’s famous enclaves through over 100 insider events and activities including this special exhibition. Presented in collaboration with Chicago cultural and neighborhood organizations, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago Office of Tourism and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Tourism.

For details and to book a hotel stay, call 877.CHICAGO (877.244.2246 toll-free), or visit www.ExploreChicago.org. The TTY toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 866.710.0294.

Chicago visitors and Chicagoans welcoming out-of-town guests can receive additional information, brochures and maps on Chicago’s exciting events and attractions at the Visitor Information Centers. The centers are located at Chicago Water Works, 163 E. Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue, and the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph Street.

SPC includes the following projects:
“Neighborhood Synesthesia,” by Anti Gravity Surprise
blank maps for “Notes for a People’s Atlas of Chicago,” by AREA Chicago
“Somnambulant City,” by Brett Ian Balogh
“Bottletracks,” by Sarah Bendix and Kelly Connolly
“Within the Scope of Wiki,” by Alpha Bruton
“Urban Messengers,” by Stephanie Dawn Burke
“Every Four Blocks,” by Kelly Connolly
“A Cross-sensory Questionnaire About Chicago,” by Eric Elshtain
“Putting Layers on the Onion,” by Dan Godston
“Memorializing Chicago’s Disasters,” by Elise Goldstein
“A Book of Chicago Bookstores,” by Laura Goldstein
“Haunted Spaces,” by Annie Heckman
“Chocolate Stockyard,” by Jeriah Hildwine
"NetWorking & Plasti-City" by Anni Holm
“Bubbly Creek,” by James Jankowiak
“A Slice of Shoreline,” by Deanna Krueger
“Daisy Chain,” by Maggie Leininger
“Sensory City,” by Clover Morell
“Extraction: Intelligentsia,” by Ira S. Murfin
“Synestheticizing the Outsidereal,” by the Next Objectivists
“C(l/r)aving,” by Carol Ng-He
“The City in a Garden,” by Lindsay Obermeyer
“Textaport Vending Machine,” by PiSplice
“Read Up and Down and You Will See Why I Love You and You Love Me,” by Felicia Grant Preston
“A Walking Dream of the World’s Columbian Exposition,” by Kelley Schei
“Musical Chairs,” by the Stockyard Institute with Faiz Razi, Beth Wiedner, & Zeb
“Acoustic Mirror of the World,” by World Listening Project

SPC is being installed in the Visitors Center at the Chicago Cultural Center, with June 1st being its starting date. Parts of SPC will travel to locations throughout Chicago, and it will be part of the Fourth Annual Chicago Calling Arts Festival.