If you’ve happened to glance up to the second floor at 3 Pleasant St. (above Pitchfork Records) over the last couple years, you may have had the eerie feeling that somebody was watching you. And there’s good reason for that.
But it’s not really a somebody, but rather a something. Artist Tom Devaney created the Eye a few years back, a large projection of his right eye (with few other eyes that make guest appearances) that gazes upon North Main Street.
Over the last couple years, it has become quite the topic of conversation, and really a must-see for those visiting the city. But as they say, all good thing must come to an end.
Devaney is ready to make some additional space in his studio to create new works, but first he wants to host a proper send off to the Eye. On Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m., Devaney is inviting the public to his studio to “Say Goodbye to the Eye.” It will also give you a chance to check out some of those aforementioned new works.
In addition to the last 30-plus years of working as an artist, Devaney teaches drawing and sculpture at NHTI. Devaney lives in Bow with his wife Catherine and has two sons.
For more information, visit TDevaney.com or facebook.com/T.DevaneyFineArt.
Prior to this week’s festivities, we caught up with Devaney to find out all about the Eye and where it came from.
Where did the idea for the eye first come from? And whose eye is it? It is my eye. I do have three other eyes that I put up on special occasions. My studio is on the corner of Main Street and Pleasant so people were always looking up to see what was going on. I was working on some 3D video mapping techniques and created the Eye to work out some technical problems. I thought it would be interesting if the studio was looking back at everyone as well.
How long did it take to go from an idea to looking over Main Street? Originally, I created a smaller version and then made the full-scale version. All and all, I worked on the foam board structure for about a month. I also had to create images/videos on my computer that exactly fit onto the eyeball form. I can operate the Eye remotely from home and also have a camera in the studio to see who is looking. Sometimes if I see someone on the street looking up, I will change the image just to have some fun.
What kinds of comments/reactions have you gotten from people over the last two-plus years? Do people still talk to you about it? Everyone seems to like the Eye. Some children have told me that it’s scary but that they like it. (Some of the kids in town call me the Eyeball guy.) At first I wasn’t sure how it would go over in town but I think it has become a bit of a landmark. I have heard that people sometimes say I will meet you at the Eye. It has been great fun. People seem to like it and I like that.
What were you hoping for when you first put the eye up? I was hoping to create a little awe and mystery in town, to make something that stopped people and gave them a smile, some mystery or a little joy.
Did you plan to have it going on for this long? No, I didn’t. I thought it would be fun to do something different downtown. I had no idea it would be up so long.
Did you ever walk around downtown and point it out to people (not knowing you were the artist) to see what they’d say? Not really. I have been downtown and heard people talking about it. I thought that was pretty cool.
What made you decide it was time to retire the eye? The reason I like the Eye is because it was different and unexpected. I feel like it is no longer serving that function. It’s time for something new. I didn’t want to just turn it off without letting people know . . .
Where did you come up with the idea to have a goodbye party? I just wanted everyone downtown to know it was shutting down, and have a chance to see it from inside my studio. Maybe have their picture taken with the Eye before it was gone.
We understand that you’re replacing the eye with some new work in your studio, what kind of work can people expect? No comment. Have to see what happens.
Do you have any plans for other public art displays? Not at this time.
Do you think it will ever reemerge for a guest appearance during a big Concord event, or is it officially retired for good? I would be open to the idea of bringing it back on special occasions, but it would have to be reassembled and resetting the video mapping takes about a day.
