September 16, 2011 Tidings from EFA Project Space!
September 2011
Dear Friends of EFA Project Space:
As we shake off the sweet pangs of the fading summer and charge up for our favorite season, I want to personally share with you some of the special things that have been happening here. This summer may have gone by in a blink, but not without a number of rich chapters: our space and our calendar were filled with artists' visions of water navigation both imagined and realized; we welcomed the induction of our second group of artists into the Studio Residency for NYC Arts Workers; and we fed off the energy from the inspiring launch of our participation-driven Artist/Organizer series.
We jumped right into the fall last week with the opening of iraqimemorial.org, the exhibition of a compelling and impassioned project and collective platform several years in the making; and we are plugging away at the finishing touches of our next venture involving translation, concrete poetry, Telephone Journal, Ugly Duckling Presse, and a group of intrepid and innovative artists and poets...
I hope to see you this season. In the meantime, please read on!
-Michelle Levy, Director, EFA Project Space Program
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Sea Worthy - Farewell!
This September marks the conclusion of Sea Worthy, the multi-part water themed spectacular (exhibition, workshops, excursions and miscellaneous on the water) organized by EFA, Flux Factory and Gowanus Studio Space. We had over four hundred people at the opening reception (record breaking!) - and the events at EFA-- an evening of talks with Constance Hockaday, Mary Mattingly and Swoon; and a special screening of the 1950s Norwegian documentary Kon-Tiki -- went, ahem, just swimmingly, thanks to all who participated and attended.
On behalf of Sea Worthy, we thank the many the individuals who helped make it happen, but most especially our co-curators Jean Barberis, Ben Cohen, Dylan Gauthier, Georgia Muenster, Kendra Sullivan, and Sally Szwed. We would also like to extend much gratitude to Constance Hockaday and the Boatel staff, the Brooklyn Pirates, Mare Liberum, Marina 59, Swimming Cities, Sea Worthy interns/volunteers (Casey Angelo, Veronica Nothnagel, Arthur Poisson, Chess Venis), and all of the presenters, organizers, builders, and guides for making the Sea Worthy experience a truly majestic one.
If you missed the boat, er... exhibition at EFA Project Space, click here for images and descriptions , and here is a great review by Charles Shultz for the Brooklyn Rail.
In our hearts, Sea Worthy related events will continue indefinitely. However, the last two OFFICIAL ones take place in the coming weeks and they are:
Procession for Immediate Certainty with Jessica Segall on September 18
Natalia Porter: Trajinera Xochitl at the Queens Museum on September 24
2011 Studio Residency for NYC Arts Workers:
Round II kicked-off in the second half of August. Aimed at helping stimulate the studio practices of artists who work as arts administrators, this residency is the only one like this that exists! Why didn't we think of it sooner? This second nominated group of artists, who dedicate most of their days to supporting other artists, participated in a two-week intensive residency in the gallery, which will be followed up with a year of meet-ups and activities. While this program is still in its pilot phase, this group has helped define and solidify many key aspects of the residency to come in the next few years. Stay tuned for more information as it takes shape. Click here to learn more about the current group of participants.
Artist/Organizer series launched: check out the new tumblr page
Hong-An Truong and Huong Ngo's Acting the Words is Enacting the World presented in the end of May, now has a very comprehensive tumblr page that documents the event (thanks to Daonne Huff). This project was the first presentation of the Artist/Organizer series which provides the use of EFA Project Space in between exhibitions, and highlights the activities of Artist/Organizers-- artists who invent new experiences for audiences and are compelled to readdress and refresh the framework through which we encounter artistic expression. This will happen about twice per year, and all activities will be documented and archived online. For 2012, plans are under way with Caroline Woolard (Trade School and Ourgoods.org), and Jeff Stark (Nonsense NYC , jeffstark.org).
Exhibition: iraqimemorial.org:
Now on view, the exhibition of a project conceived of by artist Joseph DeLappe represents an effort initiated by one individual to call upon the collective creative community to consider the cost of war from all sides. The iraqimemorial.org website exists as an open call and growing archive of ideas of over 175 speculative concepts for remembrance of innocent Iraqi civilians lost. The exhibition consists of a selection of plans from the site, as well as a number of realized objects, videos, performances and installations. Click here to see images from the opening reception.
On October 20 at 6:30 pm, EFA Project Space will host a panel discussion: On the Efficacy of Creative Remembrance moderated by DeLappe and with guests Yaelle Amir, juror; and artists Wafaa Bilal, Matt Kenyon, and Sayoko Yoshida.
This November: a 'Telephone' Game
Some time ago, we were challenged with the question: what would an exhibition about the creative act behind poetic translation look like? Well after over a year, we are still not completely sure, but it has been a sweet challenge. After speaking with a slew of literary virtuosos, we were put in touch with the smart, new, inventive Telephone Journal , and the idea for Telefone Sem Fio (the Word-Things of Augusto de Campos Revisited) was born. Telephone dedicates each issue to one international poet, and asks poets and translators (in a manner mimicking the children's game of telephone) to invent translations of several of his/her works.
In conjunction with Telephone's third issue, we have brought together a group of artists and poets to take on the creative challenge of re-creating the work of pivotal Brazilian concrete poet Augusto de Campos. De Campos's work, emphasizes the direct connections between language, sound, and image, and has influenced several generations of artists, poets, and designers even though it has fallen into obscurity in the US. The nature of this challenge truly required all the artists and poets to step outside of their "media" comfort zone and, as the results come in, we are excited to see this will be quite the sensational mash-up.
The exhibition opens November 4th. Keep an eye out for some special events to be announced soon, and for Telephone Issue 3, which will double as the catalog for the show and be produced as a limited edition publication created in collaboration with Ugly Duckling Presse . Participants include Jen Bervin, Ray Bianchi, Bibi Calderaro, Macgregor Card, Deric Carner, Detanic & Lain, Brendan Fernandes, Kenneth Goldsmith, Rossana Martinez, Tom Moody, Trong Gia Nguyen, Steve Savage, Jennifer Schmidt, Dannielle Tegeder, Monica de la Torre, Edwin Torres, Rodrigo Tuscano, and Andrea van der Straeten.
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Special thanks to The Lily Auchincloss Foundation for our third consecutive discretionary grant, and this time in the amount of $10,000 (double that of previous years) to go towards means for sustenance and growth of our program. We are extremely grateful for this support and for the demonstrated faith in what we do.
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EFA Recommends…
CREATIVE TIME's LIVING AS FORM
On September 24, Creative Time presents Living as Form, an unprecedented, international project featuring over twenty years of socially engaged projects in a large-scale exhibition at the historic Essex Street Market.
The project brings together twenty-five curators, documents almost 100 artists' projects, features nine new commissions onsite and in the surrounding neighborhood, and provides an online archive of over 350 socially engaged projects. Works range from theater to activism, and urban planning to visual art, emphasizing participation, dialogue, and community engagement.
Learn more at creativetime.org. follow on Twitter @creativetimenyc, and experience in person from Sept 24-Oct 16. Hours: daily from 12-8pm.
