"Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City" Exhibition
Socrates Sculpture Park
This event has ended.
Civic Action features the work of artists Natalie Jeremijenko and xClinic, Mary Miss, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and George Trakas - all known for their innovative works in the public sphere. Civic Action is the second half of a two-part exhibition with The Noguchi Museum and is curated by Amy Smith-Stewart. The artists were asked to proffer alternative visions and an imaginative future for the northern industrial stretch of Long Island City, Queens that encompasses both organizations Socrates and Noguchi. In 2011, each artist formed a team (listed below) comprised of architects, urban planners, writers, historians, and other consultants to re-imagine the area in response to increasing residential development, rezoning, and ecological threats. Their findings were exhibited as models, installations and drawings at The Noguchi Museum from October 13, 2011 to April 22, 2012. Now at Socrates, their ideas, which address accessibility, sustainability, community building, and urban environment, will be realized through sculpture, site-specific installations, earthworks and participatory, social activities.
Civic Action Curator, Amy Smith-Stewart states:
The exhibition at Socrates shows us what the neighborhood once was and what it could be. It asks questions. Why can't the community reclaim its scenic riverfront? How can the cultural activity of the Park extend out beyond its immediate surroundings? Why does the ecology around us matter? And how can this place become an innovative district for artists, scientists and urban planners and how can the area improve the quality of life for New Yorkers?
To answer these questions, the artists and their collaborators offer new models of interacting with our urban/park environment, imaginative installations, and site-specific interventions. The projects in the park are participatory, self-sustaining and fun. We can all be organic farmers says Natalie Jeremijenko, whose AgBags, an urban agricultural system made out of Tyvek, is designed for city windows and fire escapes. She also fashions infrastructure for nonhuman species - superhighways for salamanders and habitats for bats and moths. Rirkrit Tiravanija's community installation made out of bamboo and steel, gives locals vendors a common space where food can be served and provide a focal point for congregating and socializing. George Trakas and Mary Miss make visible the historic evolution of the area by revealing its hidden ecology. George Trakas' Sunion Point exposes the potentiality of the shoreline and its history and the possibility of access along the river's edge. Mary Miss will "map" a forgotten waterbody, Sunswick Creek, which once flowed from the East river through Socrates and beyond and now runs under the city's paved streets.
Media
Schedule
from May 15, 2012 to August 03, 2012
Opening Reception on 2012-05-13 from 14:00 to 18:00
Artist(s)
Natalie Jeremijenko, xClinic, Mary Miss, Rirkrit Tiravanija, George Trakas