Lush, green parks beautify upscale desert neighborhoods. They are regularly irrigated, well groomed, difficult to access and often devoid of people. Open Space questions the psychology of a neighborhood constructed with alluring, yet uninviting public spaces and points to the luxury of unoccupied space. ‘No Parking’ signs line the streets of suburbia, deterring park-goers in a community where households on average depend on vehicles for transportation. Meanwhile, empty benches and open space are a rarity in cities where the population is dense and poverty is concentrated. For this reason, I perceive inequality in the open space of suburbia: in the absence of occupied space, I perceive a presence of inequality. Folks in suburban communities often pride themselves on the safety and comfort of their towns, yet there is still a set of fears and a heightened concern to lock the doors and shut the blinds. Is it a concern for crime or are there other, underlying reasons for people to seek out increased security? What is beneath the psyche of suburbanites and culture as can be discovered through the environment?

Open Space was installed and painted on the walls of Keys That Fit in July 2010, beginning with the Oakland Art Murmur first Friday event. Visible only from the street, "KEYS THAT FIT" is an art space accessible to everyone, without the social borders that arise from having to enter a space.
Keys That Fit: www.xaul.com/KEYS/home