Department of Public Imagination
A space to practice the art of remembering and imagining.
Founded by Dzidzor Azaglo and crystal bi, Department of Public Imagination (DPI) holds activations in Boston that make space for collective memory and imagination work. In our practice, archiving is a way of giving gratitude – thinking about the past and the ways in which it can be used as infrastructure for imagining our beyond. In our method, imagination and collective memory are used as a basis for the creation of public infrastructure and rituals for both remembering and imagining. It reminds us who we’ve been and gestures toward who we can become and how closely it connects to where we come from.
Additionally, Dzidzor and crystal have held workshops in Boston on imagination and archiving as a tool for future envisioning. Often our communities are reshaped by top-down design. By contrast, we want to encourage horizontal, community-led imagination work for us to design and imagine what we need based on deep local knowledge.
You can find out more at www.departmentofpublicimagination.com2023-Present
DPI Installation @ Prototype Lab
DPI held its first extended residency in Design Studio for Social Intervention’s storefront space (also known as the prototype lab) in the summer of 2025 next to the Strand Theatre with the aim to imagine what a city department of public imagination would look like in Boston. By setting up a scene and interactive environment, we invite people to engage in imagination and memory work. The ‘dream portal’ phone booth with audible community dreams, 3D models of dreams, Department of Public Imagination “workers” in uniform, archives of community imagination through history, are intentionally placed as an interruption - a glitch - to disrupt the everyday responsibilities and hold open space for dreaming. In our two week residency, we engaged approximately 300 people, collected 127 community dreams for the future, and held a series of free public programming (workshops, jam sessions, and panel conversations) to engage folks in conversations around imagination throughout history in Boston.
This installation would not have been possible without so many people, including the ds4si team, and our lovely Design Team: Kristian Sumner, Elizabeth Whitcher, Josi Ocran, Carmen Powell, Yaqi Cai who helped staff the installation and gave feedback on early prototypes of the installation.
Installation, concept, and design of space + visitor interaction by crystal bi & Dzidzor
Flag and phone booth by crystal.
Video by Rene Dongo.
3D dreams by Yaqi Cai.
Logo design by Sophie Greenspan.
Costumes by House of Nahdra.
Jul - Aug 2025
Photo credit Nohemi Rodriguez and Lauren Miller.