DISCOURSE | Hold On, Be Strong and the Importance of Place
Southern Urbanism’s former Art Director has been developing something big.
Written By Kyle MacLellan
I spoke with Southern Urbanism’s former art director, Dave Alsobrooks, about his upcoming art installation and what it says about the built environment in the South.
Alsobrooks has planned a multi-media art event entitled “Hold On, Be Strong” which was showcased at The Fruit in Durham, North Carolina, on August 3rd, 2023. While Dave has arranged the event to be one night only, the art has been eight years in the making.
Having traveled to 10 different locations in the Southern region and collected dirt samples from the hometowns of his favorite hip-hop artists, Alsobrooks is combining the physical and metaphorical for his shrines to the musicians who made him.
While Alsobrooks acknowledges the lyrics that defined his young adulthood, this showcase seeks to recognize the influence of place on the defining and development of the artists themselves.
When I inquired about the use of dirt for this project, Dave informed me that using soil is his way of creating discourse with “something new.” A lover of symbolism, he felt that the soil was a perfect representation of his belief in the right person, right place, and right time aligning to make special things happen.
These samples will be showcased in custom frames featuring the key lyrics from songs that have influenced Dave and many others. Ten different locations and artists will also be on display.
Art has the power to convey messages, just as much as song lyrics do. Alsobrooks explained to me that the lessons of his works are in the title: hold on, be strong.
“Find yourself and be true to it.”
Alsobrooks also provided me with insight that “as an artist, one needs to search for the truth.” Having discovered his own truth, he is now sharing his lessons through his art.
Considering Alsobrooks’s involvement in producing two issues of Southern Urbanism Quarterly, I wasn’t going to end this conversation without discussing development.
While developers often discuss people's movement through a space, Dave considered focusing on how residents will judge their environment through different mediums of expression.
“People are going to talk; what do we want them to say?”
Music has become a major medium for sharing opinions and passing judgment, providing a window into how people exist in a space. Song lyrics and public commentary will continue to occur, so how can developers focus on “creating space to let stuff happen” rather than attempting to guide an individual’s path?
Dave’s story of people, place, and time cannot occur without physical settings. The music that raised a generation was created in and about places. It allowed people like him to find themselves and find their place.
All the more reason for developers to continue “making places with people in mind.”
Artistic mediums, including spoken word, music, and design, are regularly used to convey powerful messages. These elements will be utilized and showcased at Dave’s event on August 3rd.
You can learn more about Dave Alsobrooks’s work and the event here.
Kyle MacLellan is Southern Urbanism’s Journalism Fellow for Summer 2023.