HARD/SOFT
conflux 07 		             


  move your mouse along the wall to preview images of hard/soft. click for detail views. please set browser to allow pop-up windows.  
 
   
   
   
               
               
             
 

A site-specific installation presented in conjunction with Conflux07

Beginning September 13, 2007

S 4th St/Havemeyer/Borinquen Pl
Brooklyn, NY, USA

 
   

HARD/SOFT is an emotional response to the "hard" nature of a particular concrete overpass in Brooklyn, NY, in contrast to the fluctuating, vibrant character of the neighborhood surrounding it. It is a response based on my own fleeting observations as an outsider, a reflection of the inspiration I felt upon encountering this site. I am fascinated with the evidence that, despite any damage the overpass may have inflicted on the neighborhood during its initial construction, life appears to be thriving on the streets underneath and all around it.

This site-specific installation consists of text stenciled in chalk that covers a large section of the supporting wall beneath the overpass leading to the Williamsburg Bridge, where Havemeyer Street, Borinquen Place and South Third Street intersect. The text is taken from conversations overheard on streets and in local businesses and institutions within 2 blocks surrounding the overpass. Stenciled in the most standardized, commonly-used font I can think of (Times New Roman), the text is chalked in a variety of colors found in the stained concrete of the overpass itself.

Chalk is malleable and easy to work with, and therefore subject to change, as are the thoughts and ideas represented in the voices recorded on the wall. After the installation is completed, its inevitable transformation will be documented through a series of photographs to be presented on this web page and eventually knitted together into a video. So stay tuned...
   
   
   
               
CONFLUX FESTIVAL 2007 

Dates: Thursday, September 13 - Sunday, September 16, 2007

Locations and Hours:
The Change You Want to See Gallery, 84 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn NY 11211
Open daily, 10am - 6pm / tel 347.410.5081 / http://thechangeyouwanttosee.org
Luna Lounge, 361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211
Open daily, 11am - 4pm and 8pm - close [see site for schedule] / http://lunalounge.org/
    CONFLUX is the annual New York City festival where visual and sound artists, writers, urban adventurers and the public gather for four days to explore their urban environment. With tools ranging from traditional paper maps to high-tech mobile devices, artists present walking tours, public installations, street art and performance, as well as bike and subway expeditions, workshops, a lecture series, a film program and live music performances at night. Over the course of the festival the sidewalks are literally transformed into a mobile laboratory for creative action as people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures collectively re-imagine the city as a playground, a space for positive change and an opportunity for civic engagement.
   

To read the complete Conflux press release, click here.

For a schedule of Conflux events, click here.

For a complete list of participating artists, click here.