Rebecca Herman and Mark Shoffner Village Green (Pillory), 2007 Black & White Gallery, Williamsburg March 16 - June 4, 2007	Click on the pictures below to see larger views of Village Green
Village Green, 2007 is a large-scale sculpture in wood, exhibited at the Black & White Gallery, Williamsburg, in Spring 2007. It was inspired by the public pillory used in early colonial America. Village Green refers to American desires for an idealized yet restrained “village” community, both today and in centuries past, as seen in the architecture and landscapes of our cities and towns. The sculpture is simple and geometric: a octagonal structure with three circles cut out of each side for the insertion of a person’s head and hands. Unlike actual pillories, there will be no means to lock a person in place. The sculpture creates a kind of self-policing panopticon where eight people can voluntarily face each other. It will suggest a reflective group activity, a makeshift self-imposed jail, public shaming, and surveillance of one’s fellow citizens. Village Green projects a new urban environment that is designed to alter social behavior through architecture. Village Green invites viewers to “enter” the sculpture, creating a shared experience in the center of the octagonal pillory. The sculpture is 12 feet in diameter, and 5 feet in height, made in 100-year-old salvaged wood. Installed in the corners of the outdoor gallery as a complement to this sculpture was Hunting Blinds, 2007
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