How can we learn more about the stories behind our buildings? How can they better fulfill our needs today? Candy was commissioned by the Alaska Design Forum to create a public art project on the tallest building in Fairbanks around the theme of common space. The Polaris Building was once an apartment complex, then a hotel, and now it’s been vacant for more than a decade. Looking for Love Again is an interactive public art project that collects residents’ stories and ideas about the vacant Polaris Building. The 11-story high-rise was covered with a giant four-story sign that says “Looking for Love Again” to turn the building into an emotional beacon pleading for love and inviting people to come in for a closer look. Two chalkboards at the street level invite people to share their memories of the building and hopes for its future. See more photos, stories, and ideas on the project website, where you can also contribute directly online.

This project is an experiment – what if we could easily share the stories behind our buildings? What happened here? Who grew up here? How has it played a part in our lives? And what if we had more of a say in what these buildings could become? What if we could easily collect demand in an area? By drawing attention to our neglected spaces, and providing residents with a platform to share, perhaps we can discover the impact that buildings have on our emotional well-being. And maybe we can learn to love them once again.

“Looking For Love Again forces you to examine how the city you live in affects your life, and what you can do to shape a vision of the urban landscape for the better.” – Fast Company

2011, Industrial fabric (68′ x 36′), chalkboards (10′ x 30′), high-rise. Fairbanks, Alaska, Commissioned by The Alaska Design Forum. Project coordination by David Hayden. Project assistance by Mike Hondel. Installation assistance by Bernie Baecker, Carol Hayden, Sean Hering, Kate Incarnato, Galen Lott, Dustin Miller, Jessica Nelson, Amy Nordrum, Ian Oleson, Sheri Oleson, Pat Rivera, Jack Schmid, Trent Schoenemann, Sue Sprinkle, Dave van den Berg, and Jared van deer Weele.

Within this space, themes already emerged. For memories:

Memories of the Tiki Bar on the top floor

Ghost story of room 303

Themes for hopes:

Desire for a grocery store

Desire for an Indian restaurant

Desire for modern apartments downtown

Part of the team. Photo by resident

Photos of the process:

Photo by Carol Hayden

Photo by David Hayden

Photo by resident

All photos by Candy Chang unless credited otherwise. You have permission to use above photos for publicity about this project. See more photos of the process on the project website and on the Alaska Design Forum’s Common Space site. Share your memories and hopes on the chalkboards and online at lookingforloveagain.org!