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AN AMERICAN artist set up an “apologies desk” in Edinburgh to say sorry on behalf of the USA – now he reveals how it went.
Joseph DeLappe, originally from San Francisco but now based in Edinburgh, partook in a one-day public art intervention in the city centre, setting up the United States Apologies Desk (USAD) and allowing passers-by to engage him in conversation.
As well as allowing people to sit and vent their frustrations to him, DeLappe gave participants a “sorry” greeting card, each of which was personally signed, numbered, and dated for each person.
The artist and activist said that the experience was “truly transformative” and “rewarding”.
Joseph DeLappe, moved to Scotland from the sunny West Coast in 2017 and is currently living in the capital.
His work uses digital media such as online game performance art and electromechanical installation.
He also partakes in performances, and previously made a piece of wearable art using every piece of single-use plastic he encountered over the course of a year – to be worn in a walk across Scotland.
For his most recent work, he set up a desk by The Mound and for two days allowed passers-by to express their concerns about the USA so he could apologise on their behalf.
The desk was covered with an American flag, altered with woolen letters that read out “sorry”, and had on top of it a placard reading “USAD – United States Apologies Desk”, meant to signify an unofficial diplomatic mission.
Throughout the course of the two days, DeLappe interacted with a wide range of people, including students, American tourists, people from Russia, Taiwan, Denmark, and Italy, and a number of locals.
He had no set script and allowed people to talk about whatever they chose, with some telling him “you don’t need to apologize, it is not your fault” and others becoming emotional about the USA’s “failings”.
The performance piece took place on America’s Independence Day, with the aim of: “Extending an invitation to consider what creative resistance to the Trump regime can look like.
“To make an apology as one American citizen – to highlight all the damage the USA is inflicting upon the world, and to show that Trump’s regime and actions are not condoned by this American, and many millions of my fellow citizens.”
Due to poor weather conditions, the engagement was extended for one extra day rather than moving to different locations on 4 July, as originally intended.
DeLappe spoke to around 75 people during two three-hour sessions, saying that many showed “appreciation for what [he] was trying to do” and that he shared tears, hugs, and smiles with many of those who sat with him.
In a blog post recapping the event, he said: “There is something so very special to connect with strangers in the course of what is a kind of social practice or intervention – the joy, the revelation, the sense that you are providing a rare moment of something genuine in our lives – this is very special.
“I am planning to reprise this work, perhaps it will become an ongoing series of sessions, in Edinburgh and beyond.
“I have noticed that Trump is threatening to visit his golf courses in Scotland sometime soon – I plan to be there and set up my desk.”
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