From The New York Shitty Inbox: Saturday at St. Cecilia’s Convent

This item comes to me from a lady named Amanda Schmidt of the Physical Center. What can you expect at this event, you ask? If the press release is any indication quite a lot!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We are pleased to present Physical Center: Brooklyn, a one-night exhibition, video screening, and performance event at the Convent of Saint Cecilia in Brooklyn, NY; a tactile soirée featuring both local and international artists, performers, and musicians. Physical Center will be a celebration of material existence, and a showcase for emerging talent in the arts.

“…I truly believe that the lack of adequate imagery is a danger of the same magnitude [as over population and global warming]. It is as serious a defect as being without memory. What have we done to our images? What have we done to our embarrassed landscapes? I have said this before and will repeat it again as long as I am able to talk: if we do not develop adequate images we will die out like dinosaurs.”               – Werner Herzog

In answer to Herzog’s call, Physical Center will showcase performances, videos and installations that promote new images of physicality, engaging and responding to the contemporary contexts that frame material being. The works in this exhibition seek to challenge the viewers’ minds and bodies with visual, tactile, and aural sensory experiences that undermine purely conceptual readings.

Physical Center: Brooklyn is an opportunity to bring together emerging Brooklyn and London-based video and installation artists. The event will act as a fundraiser for Physical Center: London, a two-month series of performance art, video art, photography and sculpture that will take place between January and February 2011 at artist Yinka Shonibare’s warehouse, Guest Projects, in Hackney, London. Our Brooklyn edition’s after-party, with DJ sets from Luiza Sá of Brazilian pop group CSS and DJ Lauren Flax, aims to raise funds for flying two Brooklyn-based performance artists to London. This is a unique opportunity for these two artists to take part in a not-for-profit international exchange and perform in London.

A main exhibition addressing the artist’s reaction to physicality will feature work of varied media by New York based artists such as Paul Bergeron, Jenn Brehm, Adam Cruces, Jonathan Ehrenberg, Kerry Downey, Danny Durtsche, Leah James, Chris Marshall, Naomi Schliesman, Eric Shows, Sallie Smith, iO Tillet Wright, Weston Ulfig, Hans Viets, JD Walsh,Kristof Wickman and many more. In addition to the main group exhibition, there will be scheduled performances throughout the evening by various artists including Eliza Swann, Genevieve White,Shantell Martin, Lisa Sikorski, Oliver Warden and sex-advice comedy by Rose Surnow.

The video screening room at Physical Center: Brooklyn will both bombard and numb the viewers’ senses with its program. One might enter the room and leave relaxed and/or nauseated. The works will continue in a 90-minutes loop throughout the evening. Featured video artists include: Jesper Carlsen, Marrianna Ellenberg, Chelse Isaac, Erica Magrey, Sean Simpson, Patrick Smith, Hyla Skoptiz, Andrew Steinmetz, and Jennifer Sullivan.

In addition to both live performances and video art Physical Center: Brooklyn will house a collection of installations by an international group of artists. Philip Hausmeier, a German artist based in London and Berlin will coordinate the installation of Black no. 2. Visitors are invited to enter the work and be engulfed by thousands of strips of black plastic made from trash bags, which are quickly transformed from ordinary everyday objects into something terrifying and foreign as one moves deeper into the overwhelming sounds and darkness of the installation. Awst & Walther, the Berlin and London based Welsh/German art duo, will install Das süße Leben, a large chandelier made of real grapes that will fill the space with the smell of fruit, creating an intense visual and olfactory experience. Amelia Whitelaw, a London-based artist, will exhibit new work developed specifically for this show. Amelia has exhibited her work extensively in London and often uses uncooked dough, hung and slowly pulled by gravity through a series of nets, breaking up and mixing as they work they way to the floor. Viewers will be invited to lay underneath Melanie Schiff’s video, Perfect Square,and become entranced by the repetition and variation of the work. The viewer looks upwards from what appears to be the bottom of a lake at the silhouette of a female figure swimming circles in the water. Her movements alter the light’s reflection in the water – we hover between a relaxed state and suspense, unsure of where our point of view originates.

And here are some samples of participating artists’ work that Amanda was kind enough to provide me!

Philip Hausmeier, Black Room, installation

Jennifer Sullivan and Andrew Steinmetz, Sexual Healing, video still

Amelia Whitelaw, no title,  installation

Awst & Walther, Das sube Leben, 2010, grapes, neon

Art Happening/Fundraiser For The Physical Center
November 20, 2010 starting at 5:00 p.m.
Price of admission: $10.00 (Includes beer!)
Convent of St. Cecilia
21 Monitor Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Miss Heather

New York Shitty Slide Show Du Jour: District Dog Halloween Parade & Costume Contest

November 1, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

As promised I have assembled a slide show of yesterday’s festivities for your viewing pleasure. Before I proceed, however, I would like to tender a few thoughts/props.

AC Unit

1. I confided to my fellow judge, Assemblyman Joe Lentol, that I felt the air conditioning unit entry should be given an honorable mention because “I cannot imagine why someone would dress up their dog as one.” To wit he replied:

Maybe it is in heat?

I can honestly say I never thought of that.

Three Legged Squirrel

Peg Leg

2. Two three legged dogs were contestants in this year’s contest. One placed and one received an honorable mention.

Hollywood

3. I really, REALLY liked this entry but was overruled. So it goes.

Janitor and mop

4. I have no idea why this duo, a janitor and his “mop”, didn’t enter. I loved it!

Garden Gnomes

5. This gaggle of garden gnomes gets points for concept but I found the execution lacking. Maybe they’ll take another stab at this next year? I can only hope so.

Lobster in a pot

6. Arguably the most difficult decision was Second Place for best “Group”. It basically came down to this entry, which is absolutely adorable, and the G, L and Z trains. The judges’ collective disgust with the MTA prevailed.

And on that note and without further ado here is the slide show. Enjoy!

As always you can view these images in larger format by clicking here.

Miss Heather

New York Shitty Day Ender: Dogs On Parade

October 31, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

Rounding out today’s posts I leave you with a cavalcade of cuties from today’s parade at McGolrick Park!

Miss Heather

Greenpoint Photos Du Jour: And The Winners Are!

October 31, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Crosstown Local, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

HONORABLE MENTION

Degas


Air Conditioning Unit


Three Legged Squirrel

SECOND PLACE, GROUP

The G, L & Z Train

FIRST PLACE, GROUP


Popeye, Olive Oyl & Bluto

SECOND PLACE, SOLO


Slutty Pirate

FIRST PLACE, SOLO


Log

I suspect fellow judge Joe Lentol would agree with me that selecting this year’s winners of the District Dog Halloween Costume Contest was very tough indeed! There were so many great entries. I would like to thank everyone who came out today. I hope you had as much as I had! Now, if you do not mind dear readers I am off to enjoy my evening for a bit. You can look forward to a slide show tomorrow!

Miss Heather

From The New York Shitty Photo Pool, Part II: Live From The Trash Corral

October 27, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

This Is Just Wrong...

Lisacat (who took the above photograph) opines:

Since when are “luxury” condo developers allowed to erect a monstrosity like this in front of their crappy buildings for the rest of us to deal with? And this photo is on a good day when it’s not spilling over and out of the fence!

While arguably superior to the Viridian’s use of Bloomberg’s trees as trash repositories I too have to wonder about the legality of this set-up. Anyone out there have the 411 on whether or not this act of space piracy is legal? If so, please share via comments or email at: missheather (at) thatgreenpointblog (dot) com.

Your identity will remain anonymous if you so desire.

Miss Heather

Greenpoint Photo Du Jour: Proposition

October 21, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

From Monitor Street.

Miss Heather

Lost & Found On Monitor Street

October 21, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Crazy Cat Lady, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

Given these fliers were found literally a block apart on Monitor Street I have to wonder if the kitty in question is one and the same. Since no gender is given on the latter flier there’s no way of knowing for certain. Nonetheless, if you are missing a cat— or happen to know who this kitty belongs to— please contact his (her?) good Samaritan at the above-listed telephone number.

Thanks!

Miss Heather

Mark Your Calendars: District Dog Halloween Parade & Costume Contest

October 17, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11232, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

Anyone who has attended this event in the past (as I have) can attest it is a lot of fun. I have no doubt this year will be no different. You have two weeks (left) to get your costumes ready Greenpoint dog lovers. Do not disappoint me!

District Dog Halloween Parade & Costume Contest
October 31, 2010 starting at 1:00 p.m.
McGolrick Park
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Oh yeah, this year a new category has been added: Best Duo/Pack. I have been assured inter-species participants are allowed!

Miss Heather

From The New York Shitty Inbox: Stolen Bike

September 29, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Criminal Activity, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

This item comes from a lady named Molly. She writes:

hey miss heather,
love your blog and hope that you could help me add some eyes to the search for my stolen bike.

sometime between 10 p.m. last night and 8 a.m. this morning, my bike was stolen. it was locked on the gate in front of my apartment on monitor between nassau and driggs. cable lock was cut clean through.

now here’s the thing. this bike is small. like really small. anyone that is over 5’2″ won’t be able to ride it comfortably. it’s also orange. really orange. it has orange handle bar tape and an old vintage schwinn speedometer on the handle bars.  it’s also very heavy. i have attached a photo of the bike… if you see someone… with a small orange bike, please contact me via email.

hope some nice greenpointers can help me out! i love this bike!

If anyone has seen this bike or knows of its whereabouts please contact Molly via email at mollsrawks (at) gmail (dot) com

Thanks!

Miss Heather

New York Shitty Photos Du Jour: Live From McGolrick Park

September 18, 2010 ·
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic 

I wasn’t able to hang around and watch the bathtub races (as conducted by the Lions Club) but at the very least I saw my first (and to date only) intercontinental ballistic bathtub and made the acquaintance of Philip Ras*, the gent who was kind enough to give me the 411 about those memorial plaques at 80 Franklin Street!

Miss Heather

*It was a pleasure meeting you! You can see Philip’s photographs of last year’s race by clicking here. Check ’em out!

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