THE INTERACTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL WITH THE COMMONS

I never thought about it quite this way before. But the colonial system of architecture made for a great deal more order and system than currently prevails. In downtown Kingston, curb setbacks were all the same, block to block. Building heights, courses, window levels were relatively uniform. The normal color for everything was white. But then, what happened inside each building either was or could be extremely varied. You might say that the interiors were the realm of the "individual," while the outside belonged to the commons. So everybody in the commons shared certain basic values. In our time, artists have been overly programmed to stand out, be different, be original, But what about putting these prerogatives on the insides? Insides could be more than literally inside a building perhaps. Maybe it could also mean that you make the art respectful and subservient to the uniformity of the commons. For one thing, you don't just splash brightly colored paint about without even a thought of how it affects the architectural commons it's a part of.