vertexlistblog

vertexlist blog is an online extension of vertexList gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The content is a collective effort of artists and curators working with vertexList. (www.vertexlist.net)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

"system:system": 21 Monitor Street

I was genuinely excited to find this make-shift exhibition venue just a few blocks away from our old space. This rather ambitious show made me think of the early glory days of PS1.

Pardon the iphone quality images, click on them to check out more detail...


Here is some info from the curators Adam Henry and Christina Vassallo of Super Square:

System:System

  • Opening reception: Friday, Oct 23, 7 pm – 10 pm
  • Hours: Friday Oct 23, 7 pm – 10 pm / Saturday & Sunday Oct 24 – 25, noon – 6 pm
    week of Oct 26-30 by appointment. Saturday Oct 31 and Nov 1 noon-6 pm.
  • Location: St. Cecilia’s Convent, 21 Monitor Street, Brooklyn, NY

A failing economy has decided the recent fate of 21 Monitor Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Formerly a nun’s convent, the grand three-story house now stands uninhabited due to the declining membership of St. Cecilia parish. Rather than let the building fall into disrepair the parish has found ways to breathe new life into it through a rotating schedule of film shoots, screenings, dance performances, and art exhibitions.

Taking its cue from the friends-of-friends network that has allowed access to 21 Monitor Street, system:system is a three-day event that reflects on the nature of associations between parts of a whole. The title is a play on the term “complex systems,” which are characterized by their connections and tendencies toward unpredictable behavior. The organizing of this event evokes these qualities and embraces the small world phenomenon of strangers being linked through minimal degrees of separation to form a dynamic structure.

The unoccupied nun’s living quarters will now showcase work that experiments with the building up and/or breaking down of systems: mathematical, scientific, social, perceptual, economic, and otherwise. Much like the social and economic factors responsible for this event, the behavior between the separate elements—artistic interventions and performances—will result in an atmosphere of emergent interconnectedness. The act of creating artistic content in a temporary context will feature prominently, remaining true to the fluid way in which these works were executed.

Exhibiting Artists:

Abby Manock, Anya Kielar, Arthur Ou, Bonnie Pipkin Presents, Chris Dorland, Curver, David Brooks, Derick Melander, [dNASAb], Emily Mae Smith, eteam, Ethan Breckenridge, Francesca DiMattio, Gandalf Gavan, Garth Weiser, Ian Davis, Inna Babaeva, Jeff Konigsberg, Johannes VanDerBeek, Kai Vierstra, Lisha Bai, Maria João Salema & Lee Wells, Marius Watz, Matthew Monteith, Matthew Schenning, Melissa Brown, Meridith Pingree, Mike Hein, MiYoung Sohn, Nika Sarabi, Peter Kirn, Phil Vanderhyden, Saira McLaren, Skyler Brickley, SOFTlab, Studio Mode, Suzanne Song, Tom Brauer, Yeni Mao

Music performances by: Matamoros and New Idea Society


Recession or not, it is so nice to see so much confident, contemporary work in one place.
Relevant, coherent and aware of its surroundings... I really liked the dollar bill & fireplace installation .... there is something oddly "internet" about it.

Anyhow, I hope this venue continues... it would be such an awesome permanent addition to the local art scene. Congratulations!


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