Project Description: Looking For Love Again
Artist Candy Chang’s project plan for the Fairbanks Design Lab:
The Polaris Building is a landmark of downtown Fairbanks. Built in the 1950s, the once-thriving hotel is the tallest building in the city. The business has since closed, however, and the high-rise has stood empty for over a decade. How can this building be loved again?
Looking For Love Again generates excitement around downtown revitalization and brings heart to the urban planning process by creatively collecting citizens’ reflections on the building’s past and providing a way to share their ideas for its future. An interactive installation at the street level encourages residents to share their memories of the building as well as propose ideas for what they would like to see it become. Ornamentation fixed to the building reinforces the message.
In the end, the project provides residents with a fun and engaging platform to share local history and participate in the commercial revitalization of the downtown area – while tugging at the heart strings of those who might be able to make these dreams come true.
