How a Thrown-Away AV Cart Became a Game-Changer for Art Installations

On a list of things an artist might particularly need, a trashed old AV cart would be ranked fairly low by most. However, when Macha Suzuki, clinical associate professor in Studio Arts, saw such a cart thrown in a dumpster, he saw opportunity and utility. Suzuki rescued the cart from its fate as needless waste and transformed it into the Mobile Makerspace ver. 01 (MM1 for short) - a professional art installation cart for CFA students.

"I saw a specific need for a better installation system for the senior thesis exhibitions put up every Spring and created MM1 to specifically fulfill that need" says Suzuki. He was inspired to create this cart by Filippo Gentile, head art handler at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Gentile built a similar utility cart to assist him in his installation work and documented the process on social media. "During installation, there is so much back and forth between our Makerspace, where thesis classes meet, and the TPK Student Gallery, where the exhibitions are held, with tools, hardware, supplies, etc. - it's a struggle to keep things organized as each student works on mounting their unique exhibitions," Suzuki says. "I thought a cart like the one Gentile built would save a ton of time and energy," he continues.

Suzuki worked with technician Evangeline Alstad to create his own version of Gentile's utility cart, tailored to the needs of his students. The cart features myriad professional grade features, from a cutting surface to magnetic tool holders, to a tripod sleeve for a laser level. "Each feature allows students to dream big and make large-scale works if they so choose," says Suzuki. Every feature meets a unique need, but students have their favorites. Jonah Dees, a senior visual communication major, and London Boyd, a senior communications design major, both love using the laser level. "I used a lot of vinyl for my wall, windows, and floor in my thesis exhibition. The laser level made it so much easier and more convenient to install the high parts of my thesis," says Boyd.

Not only does MMI further the professional visions of each student, but it also represents the CFA community's commitment to sustainability through repurposing. "We of course repurposed the AV cart for MM1, but even the materials used to build it were either scraps from the Makerspace or leftover supplies from previous class projects," notes Suzuki. "I think the MM1 shows how the LMU art community is very environmentally conscious and always finds ways to repurpose and improve things," says Dees.

MM1's impact as an exemplar of sustainable design and professional need-fulfillment extends beyond the senior thesis installation. "I am planning on using the cart as an example for multiple projects in my "Design: Concept to Form" class: an upcycled furniture project, and a project where each student identifies a need for a people group and creates an object to fulfill that need," Suzuki explains. Thanks to Dean Alexander's donation of two new different types of carts from ITS, more versions of MM1 are soon to come. "I ultimately see this project as an extension of my teaching," Suzuki says.