[Pedestrian space] was related to the idea of wanting to get off the pedestal, get off the canvas. And I think it was coined with an awe of other cultures where art seemed to fit in the middle of things rather than on the periphery…. I wanted to be in the middle of it, whatever “it” was. Whether it was culture, or life, whatever…. Pedestrian space had a different intonation but it certainly was related to the literal space that Don Judd wanted to occupy.

The phrase “Pedestrian space” is taken from the writings of the artist Fred Sandback, who coined the term (with Dan Edge) in 1968 in order to establish a new way of thinking about artistic production. In the symposium “Pedestrian Space”, we begin with the artwork and its environs, but then we move into philosophy, mathematics, architectural theory, and politics. Considering the long philosophical history of reflection on the importance of walking, everyday life and diurnal experiences of orienting ourselves in “street philosophy” (as Emerson called it) we will examine how the many possible inflections of pedestrian space project into the university commons and beyond, taking into account processes of reparation, immigration, separation, politics, philosophy, community engagement, and conversation in everyday life. In a fractured world, our embodied experiences of everyday space is deeply connected with the nature of the university, civil disobedience, re- and de-location, and democratic forms of life that take into account the ethics of care and vulnerability.