As an aesthetic practice, historical re-enactments draw tension between the respective differences of those being compared. In a contemporized rendition of Jean Luc Godard’s film entitled ‘La Chinoise’ (1967), artist Mark Tribe stages a conversation between a student and a former 60’s radical turned professor set in New York City in late 2004. For audiences [...]
Speculating on Change
Launch at Storefront for Art & Architecture
97 Kenmare Street | New York, NY 10012
Saturday October 17, 2009 (4–5 pm)
Contributors:Tom Angotti, Celine Condorelli, Melanie Crean, Bryan Finoki, Beatrice Gibson, Carlos Motta, Andrew Ross, Ben Shepard, Mark Tribe, Merve Unsal
Editors: Carin Kuoni, Joseph Grima, Marisa Jahn
Explicitly tied to difference, change as such is perhaps most clearly measured in terms of chronological time, comparing a “before” to an established “after.” Speculation on change, however, entails projection, prognosis and risk into the future, and corresponds to the fluid, divergent and simultaneous time space continuum of our contemporary existence.
The Ruin Machine by Bryan Finoki, October 17th, 2009
The ruin, taken as a broad spatial typology that offers itself readily as forensic evidence useful in the investigation of contemporary configurations of power, is the starting point for Bryan Finoki’s reflections on architecture’s implication in the manipulation of space for political ends. From Ground Zero in NYC to what remains of Saddam Hussein’s luxurious [...]
Support Structures by Celine Condorelli, October 17th, 2009
In an excerpt from her forthcoming book, Support Structures (published by Sternberg Press), artist/architect Celine Condorelli presents one of the most unorthodox and experimental exhibitions in New York’s history, organized and curated by Peter Nadin and taking place in his studio over a period of 9 months.
Throughout the course of 1978-79, artists including Daniel [...]
A Conversation with Carlos Motta by Merve Unsal, October 16th, 2009
In an interview with Merve Unsal, Carlos Motta, a Colombia born, New York City-based artist reflects on democracy, specifically looking at issues of equality and representation of immigrants and LGBTQ subjects. Motta uses strategies from sociology and documentary genres to engage with specific political events. His recent video and text-based projects investigate “democracy” from different [...]
On the Digital Labor Question by Andrew Ross, October 16th, 2009
Transcribed from a lecture presented at September 29, 2009, at the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School, sociologist Andrew Ross weighs the gains of a digital paradigm in terms of labor. On the one hand, active, digitally-networked societies offer information-rich public goods that can bolster creativity and politically progressive organizing. [...]
Divan … the universe has no loyalty by Daniel Bozhkov, October 16th, 2009
‘Divan … the universe has no loyalty’ from 2009 is a traveling waiting room by Daniel Bozhkov that provides a place to sit with cushions and Newsweek magazines, and occasionally becomes a site for the gathering of storytellers. It follows the traces of a family jewel with an inscription in Ottoman Farsi that reads “… [...]
The Shape of Change by Melanie Crean and Sean Gourley, October 16th, 2009
This conversation took place between Melanie Crean and Sean Gourley via email during the month of September 2009. Their discussion focused on notions of change as a physical, political and cultural phenomenon whose nature and impact, though sometimes measurable and predicable, still cannot be strictly defined. Crean is an artist and teacher, living in [...]
Talking Activism and Writing by Ben Shepard, October 16th, 2009
Activist and historian Benjamin Heim Shepard discusses the role of play in advancing queer politics in New York City. Shepard’s contributions point towards the relationship between pleasure and play—a valorization of sensuality, humor, and agency in the present tense—as a prospect for political change. WWAN catches up with New York writer and activist Benjamin [...]
Speculation and Change: Community Land in New York City by Tom Angotti, October 16th, 2009
Remarking on recent trends in New York City’s real estate, urban planner Tom Angotti offers a ten point plan for uniting land and people in New York City.
By Tom Angotti[i]
New York’s landed oligarchy boasts that the city is “The Real Estate Capital of the World.” This popular mythology helps to manufacture consent for the planning, [...]