Thesis 2024 / Malini Basu

Art as a personal practice of observation and reflection has been prevalent throughout my time in the MCAD MFA program. I have employed various methods of visual notetaking and ritual building to record my perceptions of the human experience, including slowing down, navigating the city through self-selected cues, in-situ sketching, and self-reflective storytelling. My explorations in tactile navigation and the liminal space of daily commutes both lean into these practices. 

Gathered in Transit explores the shared space of those who commute by public transit. I am interested in how we interact when our bodies are gathered in a shared space with strangers. How do people spend this in-between time of their day? How are people interacting with the bus/train container? How can I capture moments of interaction between passengers? Through raising these questions, I aim to illuminate how a liminal space opens up when people from different backgrounds, cultures and levels of privilege move together through space.

I initially began my investigation through material exploration–sketches of people waiting for the number 2 bus, standing or sitting within the A-line, running to catch the light rail train, cradling bags on their laps, as well as the handles, seats, and interior railings in the bus. I began to translate the drawn line into new mediums. What would happen if I turned a 2D drawing into a physical 3D laser-cut piece of wood whilst still retaining the quality of the line? I played with trace monotypes as well – a type of one-off printmaking that retains a sense of the hand-drawn line. I then layered these prints, drawings, and laser-cut pieces to create an installation in the implied shape of a bus on the wall. These motifs also extend onto a hanging sheer fabric assemblage and a collaged bus stop sign. The sign pole will be open to additional collages and stickers from visitors. My laser-cut accordion-style artist book, Anonymity/Proximity, is also displayed in the space. The colors in the installation call back to the blue and yellow brand identity of Twin Cities Metro Transit, heavily emphasizing the warm yellows. 

My thesis work gives my viewers a sense of the liminal space I am evoking through the use of layered prints and translucent materials. These materials are reminiscent of the ways in which people come together, overlap and yet remain apart while commuting. The installation of the elements in the gallery aims to recreate a bus stop and the hanging fabric piece forces viewers to maneuver through the space, bringing to mind a crowded bus aisle.

Eventually, as I played with material, I drew connections between the work I was making about shared space on the bus plus the liminality of public transport and my own personal and interior wayfinding. The space of the bus, in-between spaces of public transportation, and changing the means of transportation - when I run to catch the bus, make a transfer to the light rail, stand in the aisle, sit next to a stranger, and then get off and walk again - mirrors what I have been doing in my experiments with monoprints, hand-made paper, laser cut out and other means of visual communication. My means of communication thus further pushes the idea of liminal space and in-betweenness that I have been exploring in public transportation.

Instagram: @malinibasu.studio