Moments of Truth Art Installation

the-truth-shall-set-you-free

Can Art force or inspire you to tell the truth?

“We’re basically saying to the public, ‘Come speak, and we will do our darndest to get it out there,’ ” Sylvester said.

“The Truth Booth”, shaped like a speech bubble in a cartoon is an inflatable structure inviting members of the public to step inside to complete the sentence “The truth is …”

The four behind the booth — 14 feet tall and 23 feet wide — are Sylvester, of New York; Ryan Alexiev of San Francisco; Jim Ricks of Ireland; and Hank Willis Thomas of New York/VERIFY.

The result, Sylvester said, provides a snapshot of what makes people scared, angry or passionate.

“To give everyday Americans the opportunity to speak their mind and have that just posted and shown and archived at this moment,” he said, “we can actually see what people were talking about, what was really going on at the time.”

During their travels with the booth, the artists have collected thousands of responses — archived online — that, though diverse, carry common threads.

Some “truths” are heart-rending, some incisive and some humorous.

New art installation asks visitors to tell the truth