Media art for public spaces with Ariana Gerstein and ​Monteith McCollum

What happens when an artwork is shaped by the unpredictability of public space? 

In this interview Ariana Gerstein and Monteith McCollum discuss What We Bring, an outdoor installation that extends Ariana’s larger documentary project exploring migration, personal history, and overlooked traces of the past. While filming in Athens, Greece, she was drawn to a clothesline hanging in an old neighborhood—a simple yet powerful marker of everyday life. The street, surrounded by century-old markets and remnants of war, embodied layers of history intertwined with personal and familial narratives. This imagery became the foundation of What We Bring, where projected visuals interact with moving fabrics to evoke memory, presence, and impermanence. 

Ariana is an experimental filmmaker whose projection installations and non-traditional cinematic works explore themes of memory, time, and personal narratives. Monteith McCollum is an inter-media artist working with film, sound, and sculpture.   

Listen to this podcast to learn about:

• Adapting media art for outdoor and public space
• Overcoming challenges of weather when working outdoors
• Bridging documentary storytelling with the emotional power of installation art

Chapters

• (00:00:00) Introduction and acknowledgements

• (00:00:52) Meet the artists: Ariana Gerstein and Monteith McCollum
• (00:01:19) The concept and inspiration behind 'What We Bring'
• (00:01:52) Challenges and dynamics of outdoor installations
• (00:04:27) Exploring the technical aspects
• (00:10:25) Sound design and audience interaction
• (00:21:17) Collaboration and creative process
• (00:24:00) Lessons learned and advice for media artists
• (00:30:32) Conclusion and final thoughts 

About Ariana Gerstein

Ariana Gerstein is an experimental filmmaker and media artist who creates innovative projection installations and cinematic works. A Guggenheim Fellow and a Professor at Binghamton University’s Department of Cinema, her practice explores memory, time, and personal narratives through non-traditional filmmaking techniques. Her work has been screened at venues like the Museum of Modern Art and the European Media Arts Festival and has received awards such as the Gus Van Sant Award for Best Experimental Film. Supported by the Rockefeller Media Arts Fellowship and the National Endowment for the Arts, Ariana’s art challenges conventional storytelling and engages audiences in unique visual experiences.

 About Monteith McCollum

Monteith McCollum’s acclaimed films have screened at venues such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Hirshhorn Museum, and festivals including SXSW, Hot Docs, and the European Media Arts Festival. A recipient of the IFP Truer Than Fiction Spirit Award, Monteith’s work has also been supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. In addition to filmmaking, he creates innovative sound compositions for films and performances, merging his expertise in storytelling and audio to deliver engaging, multi-sensory experiences.

Key Takeaways from this interview with Ariana Gerstein and Monteith McCollum

"Clothing blowing in the wind carries its own lyrical power."ily lives with algorithms—we just don’t always call them that.”

What We Bring is an outdoor media installation by Ariana Gerstein and Monteith McCollum that transforms thrifted clothing into projection surfaces. Suspended on lines like drying laundry, the clothing moves with the wind, altering the projected images and adding an organic, unpredictable quality.

"The streets of Athens inspired this project, weaving personal and public narratives."

What We Bring is part of a larger documentary project on migration and personal history. Inspired by a vibrant clothesline in Athens. Ariana reimagined the scene as an open-ended installation, replacing structured film narrative with a sensory public experience.

"In film, the experience is controlled; in public installations, it’s shaped by the space, the weather, and the audience."

"Prototyping at home can only prepare you so much—every site changes the piece."

Unlike static gallery settings, What We Bring relies on audience movement and interaction. Viewers experience projections from different angles, while sound cans offer personal, tactile engagement with recorded stories and ambient sounds

"We tend to allow one of us to take the lead, with the other supporting where needed."

Ariana led the creation of What We Bring, while Monteith contributed problem-solving and sound design skills, reinforcing their approach of balancing individual strengths.

"Learn to adapt and embrace the unexpected—it’s part of creating art for public spaces."

Flexibility is key. While prototyping is crucial, artists must be open to revising their work based on site-specific challenges and audience engagement. 

Links from this interview with Ariana Gerstein and ​Monteith Mccollum

• Learn more about What we bring
• Visit Ariana Gerstein’s website
• Follow Ariana Gerstein on Instagram 
• Visit Monteith McCollum’s website 
• Learn more about Isadora
• Read Robin’s reflection on this conversation – Feeling vs thinking: How art and documentary shape experiences differently