In Division, Paul Ramírez Jonas re-imagines equestrian monuments. Usually, a monument is elevated by a series of stepped bases so it can be seen above crowds, while also protecting it from those very same crowds. Normally, these steps form a natural sitting area that orients the viewer’s body away from the monument it supports. The stepped pedestal is thus the threshold between monument and  public and shapes the public into a form. Both the body and vision are turned away, creating an extroverted viewing experience. 

In Ramírez Jonas’s version, the monument and its base are sliced in half and turned inside out. The resulting form allows the pubic to sit as if in a theater, facing each other, looking in and introverting the gaze. The monument and the theater as social forms do more than manifest a public: they also give it a distinct shape, organize how we stand in relation to one another, and guide the direction of the gaze. The sum of it all can incite or suppress participation, dialogue, and discourse. To invite such discourse, Ramírez Jonas has constructed Division of cork covered in pushpins, allowing it to function simultaneously as a meeting place, a performance stage, and a message board. Division is available during CAB 5 for public programming by any interested party.