Fifteen people literally tied the streets of Tempe together on Sunday afternoon to demonstrate unity within a community.
Red string was laid out on the ground, lining Ninth, 10th and 11th streets and stretching to Maple and Ash avenues, to spell the word "TIE."
"The whole idea behind the project was to connect people and bring them together," said Eric Scott Nelson, an ASU alumnus and the creator of the project. "I wanted to get people into the streets and experience something together."
The project took about an hour and a half to complete, according to project coordinator Frank Stieber.
"Basically, everyone who took part in this project brought subjective creativity," Stieber said. "My goal was to enact the vision Eric had in mind when he created this project, which was creating a community through this event."
Nelson had called Stieber to help run the project in Tempe, while other similar projects took place in cities like Providence, Baltimore, Denver, Augusta, Portland and Seoul, South Korea. "We're working to recruit people in additional cities who are interested in making new ties and making old ties stronger," said Nelson.
Stieber calls the connections people have intangible. "The people we meet in life, when we cross the street, usually remain strangers to us. The significance behind the 'TIE' project was to meet these people whose paths we cross," he said.
The word "TIE" will continue to be displayed on the ground until April 12.
Reach the reporter at: allison.carlin@asu.edu.
