THE ACUPUNCTURE PROJECT / Treatment for Portland
                              art & acupuncture for the city
 
In March 2008 I was the monthly guest artist in Portland’s new South Waterfront neighborhood at the base of the aerial tram, where I brainstormed and work-shopped this idea with help from acupuncturists, acupuncture students, city planners, ecologists, artists, writers, public art professionals and the general public. Together we envisioned Portland as a metaphorical body, explored how energy flows through the city and debated which parts of the city would correspond to the different acupuncture organs and meridian systems.
A single 23 ft tall acupuncture needle was inserted at the South Waterfront for the month of March. A city-wide installation of many such needles is possible in the future. Treatment for Portland was commissioned by the South Waterfront Artist in Residence (AiR) Program, Sept/07-Sept/08, as part of its Monthly Guest Artist Series - AiR program at www.southwaterfront/art_and_design/artist. 
Think of the city as a body the way traditional Chinese medicine does-- not only as a physical entity but also as a system of energy that flows in distinct pathways called meridians. The energy, or Qi, needs to be in balance.  If a person's Qi is out of balance, disease can set in.  The same could be true for a city. This project explores the junction between art, regional planning, the environment, asian medicine and the health of a city.
Over the course of the month, a wall of maps filled up with concerns and suggestions for Portland’s healthy and well being. I got input from the City of Portland & Vision PDX,  the Coalition for a Livable Future, The Portland Audubon Society, Portland State University, Urban Greenspaces Institute, and Metro, who also donated many of the maps,
 
In addition to the expected issues of traffic congestion, the environment, affordability, safety and education, overall, there was a general consensus that Portland is at a crossroads between what it has been -  a livable, affordable, family-friendly & human-scaled place to live - to what it is becoming, a world-class cosmopolitan city becoming encumbered with all the issues and problems that come with that status.
 
Energy, or Chi, could take many forms in the urban setting, such as utilities, transportation, information, politics, recreation and natural features just to name a few. Chinese medicine also associates different emotional and mental states with each meridian. People are also part of a city’s energetic flow.
 
After discussions with acupuncture professors here in Portland, I correlated (as best I could!) a city to a human body as seen through the acupuncture lens.
There could be places where the city's Qi is flowing or blocked, deficient or overactive, places of congestion, neglect or conflict, or places of vitality, serenity and beauty.
 
HEART (supreme controller, spirituality, connection to higher reality, ancestors)  = mayor, religious institutions, cultural institutions, art, places for ritual, music and celebration, native american & colonial history
 
LIVER (vision, strategy, endurance) =  politics, city planning, government agencies, fuel supply & reserves
 
SPLEEN (transportation and distribution, coursing and draining, primary healer)  = mass transit, automobiles, roadways, commerce, healthcare
 
LUNG (receiving pure energy from the heavens, freedom, vitality, nobility) = nature, parks & gardens, city reservoirs, open space, air quality, outdoor recreation, leisure, high society, exclusive clubs, air travel, judiciary
 
KIDNEY (basis of life, vital essences, eternal and infinite source, DNA ) = streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, marshes, natural resources
 
STOMACH (ripening and rotting, food and drink, storehouse, granary) = food supply, farmers markets, housing, entertainment, nightlife
 
GALL BLADDER (control, motivation) =  police, fire, safety / rallying, activism, lobbying
 
LARGE INTESTINE (drainage, keeping the precious, letting go of impurities) = banking, manufacturing, railways,  ships yards, garbage, solid waste stream, recycling, sustainability industries
 
BLADDER (storing and utilizing reserves, boundary between self and non-self) =  reservoirs, drinking water, water treatment & sewer system, urban growth boundary
 
SMALL INTESTINE (wisdom, truth, virtue, sorting good from bad, morality, charity) =  judiciary, schools, colleges,  universities, shelters, nursing homes, charitable organizations, social services
  
By pinpointing Portland’s health problems the project could increase public awareness of these issues, which may in turn lead to actual improvement’s in the city’s health.
 
Below are some proposed acupuncture points for Portland. They reflect many of the issues that rose to the surface in March. I’ve given each point a name, improvising on some of the wonderful traditional chinese point names. Some of the points have needles “digitally” inserted but not all, just like a real treatment..