Social Emergency Response Centers help us understand the moment we’re in, from all different perspectives. They help us move from rage and despair into collective, radical action.

Here was a simple gesture that functioned on a symbolic level to epitomize a system where violence could start over nothing more than “she looked at me wrong”, but also how the nothing was everything, their very reputation and safety being on the line in the instant of response.

Can a big urban game shift the self-identity of a space or the people in it? Can the opportunity to play be as important in reducing social violence as the opportunity to work? What can games and spectacle teach folks doing on-going social justice work? Hopefully, a lot!

“Let’s Flip It” is a communication system developed by and for young people most affected by social violence in Boston. It is a way for them to say “it’s time to stop” without saying it directly.

Tired of the princess being held captive by racist, sexist, heterosexist and capitalist forces, we wanted to create an experience that challenged all the stereotypes of what and who a princess was.

“What would you do with $700 Billion?”—We created an interactive mobile banner to encourage spontaneous dialogue on the 2009 stock market crisis, engaging over 100 citizens across Boston.

We created a Productive Fiction. Over two evenings in the fall of 2014, our installation of lights and an illuminated red carpet transformed the bridge into a bright space.

The Black Citizenship Project engaged artists to provide a public, artistic response to state-sanctioned violence against Black bodies and the Black community. 

inPUBLIC is ds4si’s first festival of public-making—the collective creation and activation of public spaces for interaction and belonging. We are partnering with artists and activists to create the types of public spaces and atmospheres that we want to fight for.

inPUBLIC 2021 was a 3-day celebration, involving 60 artists in a radical act of tending to each other, as we transformed the Downtown Crossing Steps into an atmosphere of reflection and holding space to honor BIPOC artists and communities.

Projecting Our Stories, Projecting Our Future was like turning the historical Strand Theatre inside out. A dance that might have been performed on stage was projected larger-than-life above Columbia Road, now set to the sounds of Upham’s Corner, and attended by all who passed by. A photo exhibit that might have nestled into the Strand’s gallery space now starred humans practically touching the sky.

For the Augment Project, led by world-renowned artist Nick Cave, DS4SI engaged the community of Upham’s Corner in creating over 100 collages based on the prompt, “What brings you joy?”

From temporary installations like Silvia Chavez’ “Color UP” to civic engagement tools like Cedric Douglas’ “Giant Check”, DS4SI grows every time we get to work with artists on groundbreaking projects. Here are some examples and how you can get involved.

Learn more about our ExpressingBoston Public Art Fellows and their diverse creative placemaking projects along the Fairmount Cultural Corridor.

An architect worked with community members to design and build a beautiful 50’ bench at a bus stop. A multimedia artist (in residence at a corner store!) collaborated to create a dance that embodied the daily life of the street’s small shops and restaurants. Another worked with students to build a tri-lingual installation, “Our Liberated Land”. The list goes on. DS4SI and the Fairmount Cultural Corridor explored what could happen when a community had its own Artist in Residence.