NMT Presents:
The Relic Report is an unofficial municipal study of San Francisco’s monuments and memorials and their intersection with our country’s racist history. Self-commissioned by New Monuments Taskforce, the two-part publication documents a playful investigation of public monuments in the city’s civic art collection.
Volume 1 was released on Oct. 5th, 2020 and kicked off a month-long "Public Comment" survey that asked Bay Area residents to reflect on their relationship to monuments and what a new wave of monuments could or should look like.
The responses and reflections donated by citizens on these monuments have been curated and compiled into this booklet, Relic Report Vol. 2, concluding NMT's inaugural initiative.
The Relic Report (part one) : Inquiry & Instructions
The first booklet functions as a research guide of sorts -- an artistic interpretation of qualitative analysis, part one introduces defined subgroups as its primary frame of inquiry of the civic monuments in question. Subgroup analysis involves subdividing data points by qualitative characteristics (e.g. historical, race, aesthetic, form) or other variables to identify disparities and differences among subgroups. Subgroups in this study were created through a process of play and provocation. Subgroups are meant to initiate inquiry, expose irregularities and question the messaging and memory encapsulated by these statuary symbols. Intended to provide fodder for critical conversations around monuments in question, part one offers instructions for “public comment.”
Public Comment
Public comment is a democratic tool used to facilitate public involvement of stakeholders. Popular amongst politicians and planning agencies alike, we decided to employ a “public comment” period (October 5 - October 25, 2020) to The Relic Report to generate community input, and record reflections on SF’s monumental landscape. Donated perspectives, ruminations and recommendations may be documented in the final publication of the report. We are facilitating our Public Comment Process in-print (enclosed in booklet one) and online for your convenience.
The Relic Report (part two) : Reckoning & Recommendations
The second booklet is a creative culmination of participant reflections donated through “public comment survey.” An artifact of our time together, part two summarizes main findings, common goals and further recommendations for a new wave of monuments.