Unique art installation 'People We Love' opens in Downtown Pittsburgh

Imagine sitting at the opposite end of a video camera lens as an image of someone you love is reflected on a piece of glass in front of the lens. As you stare at the photo of your loved one, you’re given various prompts by a recorded voice and your reactions are being recorded.

The finished recordings are at the heart of a video installation piece called “People We Love” that features approximately 125 members of the Pittsburgh community.

The installation, commissioned by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, officially opens Friday at One Oxford Center on the corner of Smithfield St. and Fourth Ave. The video images are displayed on a loop on monitors placed along a long black wall in a first-floor corridor of the building.

It was the brainchild of British artist Kit Monkman, who does not reveal any information about the photos, or the people in them, that the subjects are staring at. Everything is anonymous and there is no list of names online.

“We’re projecting an image they’ve brought with them. My premise is that it’s really hard to look at the faces without wondering who it is they’re looking at,” said Monkman, a London native who now resides in York, England.

All of the video portraits of the Pittsburgh subjects were taken in 2021. But three more days of video recording will soon take place here on April 10, April 30 and May 8. About the only thing people are required to do is provide a photo of someone they love.

According to Monkman, only one recorded subject, in York, asked that their video not be shown after it was recorded.

“And I’m surprised by that because it is an incredibly vulnerable position to put oneself in,” he said. “What’s really interesting is that it’s being a silent witness to pain and joy and just being human.”

Not everyone who participated signed up for the experience.

Renee Piechocki, producer and curator of the work, said she was able to persuade some people to come in off the street and be recorded.

“When we had breaks in the schedule, we would stand outside on the street corner, looking at people as they passed by, to see if they wanted to participate in the project. We were at 30 to 45% on getting people to come in,” said Piechocki. “It makes me love Pittsburgh that so many people we didn’t know were willing to go through the process.”

Kahmeela Adams, 46, Swissfield, participated in a demonstration.

As the camera rolled, she stared at her loved one, and a recorded voice prompted her to; “look at their face, enjoy all the details; imagine the person you love is there looking back at you. Then a series of questions; look at their face, what are they thinking? What would they think about your choosing them to be a part of this today? Did you ever do anything silly together? Can you remember a moment?

The session lasts for roughly six or seven minutes and Monkman edits them down to about three minutes.

Derek Reese, 40, a participant from Brighton Heights, said he was struck by the meditative quality of the experience.

“It was pretty intense – just sitting there with an image of my loved one,” said Reese. “I was also struck by how much I felt alone with myself as much as the person I was looking at.”

Monkman said he enjoys seeing the images through the large glass window at night as he walks down Smithfield St.

“It’s lovely, just these silent faces paying witness to being human.”

Monkman said people don’t even need to come inside the building to feel the impact of the installation.

“I hope someone will get solace maybe just from looking through the window at night.”

The “People We Love” installation runs from April 8 to June 5.