Optimism – Artists – Ghana Thinktank Collaborative
Ghana Thinktank (installation view)
2006-8
John Ewing, Matey Odonkor, and Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins, Matey Odonkor and John Ewing have set up a network of think tanks in so-called ‘developing nations’ around the world. The purpose of these think tanks is to solve America’s problems. For this exhibition, the collaborative has convened four think tanks to solve the problems of Westport, Connecticut, an affluent town one hour from New York City. The think tanks are in Ghana, El Salvador, Mexico and Serbia.
The think tanks themselves are temporary and ad hoc. The Ghanaian think tank (pictured) is a group organized by a former schoolmate of Odonkor in the Kokrobitey village, a 30-minute drive from the capital city. The think tank in Mexico is made up of four school teachers in Oaxaca.
Through man-on-the street interviews, a suggestion box and the Internet, people in Westport have suggested local problems that they would like to solve, such as pesticides, noisy barking dogs, and speeding traffic. The think tanks proposed solutions to several of these problems, which are being enacted by the artists and Westport residents as part of the exhibition.