当墨尔本概念艺术家康斯坦丁·迪莫普洛斯（Konstantin Dimopoulos）于2009年在西雅图创作其环保艺术装置《蓝色树木》时，他面对着一群无家可归的人在市中心游荡，他们穿着不合身的衣服抵御寒冷。
“我在西雅图市中心的华盛顿湖公园创作《蓝色森林》（关于全球森林砍伐）时，那里是无家可归者聚集的地方，尤其是晚上睡觉的地方。当我把公园里的树涂成蓝色时，他们对我的行为表现出一种羞怯的好奇。于是我邀请他们帮忙。这对我产生了深远的影响。在我们一起工作的过程中，他们逐渐成为团队的一员，通过互相称呼“比尔，把刷子递给我”或“玛丽，过来这里”，他们失去了匿名性，成为了朋友，他们的幸福也变得对我们所有人重要。”
《THE PURPLE RAIN》是一个艺术干预项目，旨在通过艺术回应来提升这一全球性问题的可见度和共情能力。《THE PURPLE RAIN》强调，像雨水一样，这一社会现象正在变成一场倾盆大雨。在定义好的城市空间内，Dimopoulos通过重复的色彩饱和度，让那些看不见、听不到的事物变得可见。该作品将这种饱和度与我们沉浸于移动技术的体验相结合，邀请观众与作品互动。面对倾盆大雨，观众可以选择仅仅浏览或采取行动；至少可以暂停评判。
无家可归并不意味着绝望。《THE PURPLE RAIN》向个体提供了尊重和尊严，以他们的名字介绍他们，讲述他们未来将不再受苦的故事，他们的叙述字字句句都指向深层次的社会问题，这些问题正是无家可归的根源所在。心理、社会、个人和经济因素共同作用，导致了我们社区中这一持续存在的困境。随着经济压力导致的社会和心理后果日益严重，全球无家可归的人数仍在不断增加。
在澳大利亚墨尔本，《THE PURPLE RAIN》是一个合作项目，艺术家与澳大利亚天主教大学社区参与促进研究所、雅拉市、圣玛丽之家、STREAT以及费希利当代艺术画廊合作完成。
THE PURPLE RAIN
When Melbourne-based conceptual artist, Konstantin Dimopoulos was creating his environmental art installation The Blue Trees in Seattle in 2009 he was confronted by the number of homeless people walking around the CBD wrapped in layers of mismatched clothing against the cold.
“I was creating The Blue Trees [about global deforestation] at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle, a place where people who are homeless come and congregate, particularly to sleep at night. They were showing a shy curiosity about what I was doing as I coloured the trees in the park blue. So I invited them to help. This had a profound effect on me. As we worked together, they slowly became part of the team and by getting to know them “pass me the brush, Bill” or “ Mary, over here” they lost their anonymity and became friends and their well being became important to us all.”
The Purple Rain is an arts intervention that personalizes this global issue. It seeks to generate greater visibility and empathy through an artistic response. The Purple Rain stresses the fact that like the rain this social phenomenon is becoming a downpour. Through the repetitive saturation of colour, created within defined urban spaces, Dimopoulos makes visible the often unseen and unheard. The artwork integrates this saturation with our immersion in mobile technologies, inviting an interaction with the artwork. Confronted with the downpour, the viewer can choose to merely browse or to take action; at the very least to suspend judgment.
Homelessness does not mean hopelessness. The Purple Rain offers respect and dignity to the individual, introducing them by name, telling their stories of a future less adverse, their narratives leading word by word to the deeper social issues that exist at the root of homelessness. Psychological, social, personal and economic factors all work to create this ongoing dilemma in our communities. The number of people who are homeless continues to grow world wide as financial stresses create social and psychological fallout.
In Melbourne, Australia The Purple Rain is a collaborative project, the artist working with the Institute for Advancing Community Engagement of the Australian Catholic University; the City of Yarra, St Mary’s House of Welcome, STREAT; and Fehily Contemporary Gallery.
