Arts
May 8, 2008
Waterfalls Project Rising in Brooklyn Bridge Park
A couple of readers today emailed us photos of the New York City Waterfalls project coming along between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This is one of four such installations designed by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson; the other three are being constructed under the Brooklyn Bridge, on Governers Island and at Pier 35 in Manhattan.
Waterfall Art Project Coming to Life Under the Bridge [Brownstoner]
Top photo by Joe Flix; photo on the jump by Whitbo.
Continue reading "Waterfalls Project Rising in Brooklyn Bridge Park"
May 6, 2008
Some 475 Kent Tenants Allowed Back In
This morning the Times reports that about 100 tenants of 475 Kent Avenue have been allowed to return to their loft spaces, despite the fact that the building still doesn't have a C of O for residential use. Although some of the the property's renters are back, a number are worried about what the future's going to hold for their live-work situations. There are concerns about not only the lack of a residential C of O but also fear that 475 Kent's landlord will raise rents or try to sell the building. Residents are critical of what the city is (or isn't) doing to protect affordable spaces for artists. “The next battles are much more difficult,” says Eve Sussman, a 475 Kent tenant and videographer. “New York State and the city government need to be getting behind creative practitioners so that our foundation isn’t eroded by big developers.”
After Repairs to Building, Artists Return to Their Lofts [NY Times]
475 Kent Vacate Order Lifted [Brownstoner]
Photo by aldella.
April 30, 2008
Salacious Slope May be Ready for Prime-Time
Remember that silly article a few weeks ago about how the "Sex and the City" gang might live in Brooklyn if the show was being filmed today? Turns out it wasn't so far-fetched, according to a piece in the Post that says Darren Star, SATC's creator, is shopping around a show about well-off gal-pals who live in Park Slope. The article is beyond delicious, per highlights such as these:
The Slope is an ideal setting because it's got "energy": "It takes place in Park Slope and Park Slope is one of the characters in it. Park Slope has so much juice, just like Manhattan. It's got a lot of pizzazz and energy," says its would-be writer, herself a Sloper.
The show would help combat big, bad Brooklyn stereotypes: "As a Park Sloper, I'm flattered that they would think of portraying our neighborhood in a positive way," said Craig Hammerman, district manager of the neighborhood's Community Board 6. "Hopefully, it will go far in combating the negative stereotypes people have about Brooklyn."
The show will not shy away from the Slope's most pressing issues: Of course, no show about Park Slope would be complete without at least one storyline about yuppie moms and their sidewalk-crowding strollers..."I hope it's not going to be a bunch of moms doing Pilates and drinking their lattes because that's not me," says one mother interviewed for the story.
This sounds like the best television of all time.
Call it 'Slope & the City' [NY Post]
Photo by awgreen.
April 29, 2008
Q&A With Isabel Hill, "Brooklyn Matters" Filmmaker
On Thursday Cobble Hill Cinemas will host a free screening of "Brooklyn Matters," the documentary about Atlantic Yards. The film, which examines how Atlantic Yards came about and what the project's possible ramifications are, came out early last year and has been shown in a number of venues, including colleges and universities like Pratt and NYU. Isabel Hill, the director and producer of "Brooklyn Matters," talked to us about the movie's relevance now that Atlantic Yards is likely to be stalled and how audiences have reacted to her work. The main thrust of Hill's documentary is that Atlantic Yards has ignored decades-old urban planning wisdom and techniques. Hill worked as a planner for many years before making the film.
Now that you’ve been showing the documentary for a while, have you noticed a difference in audience reaction over time?
Hill:Yes, frankly, there does seem to be more outrage over the specific elements of this project. When I first started showing the film, I think many people were just surprised when they discovered the overwhelming scale of the many proposed skyscrapers. Most people initially understood the project to consist of a sports arena and a vague outline of other development. When they saw the monumental scale of the proposed buildings, most first-time viewers were incredulous. Also, when I first began showing the film, viewers were shocked at the ways this project circumvented public process and how project advocates manipulated public perception. Now, I think as people know more about Atlantic Yards, they are incensed when they see the film and more fully understand the drastic and long-lasting impacts of this proposal—a proposal we taxpayers are subsidizing. What I’ve seen is that the film consistently is a revelation to viewers whether they know nothing, little, or a lot about the project.
Is the documentary still as relevant now that Atlantic Yards faces delays?
Hill:"Brooklyn Matters" is even more relevant and important now than it was the day it was released. Markets have slowed the rate of progress on Atlantic Yards and allowed more and more people to study the project more closely. It is especially important that the new Paterson administration see the film during this time. In the past, many interested community leaders and residents felt side-lined by the fact that the real estate market was traveling so fast and furious. Atlantic Yards was marketed as a “done deal” and many believed it. Now that more and more people realize that the project is not a done deal, it is even more important to act. We can’t just sit back and see what happens here. This is an opportunity for our elected officials and citizens to rethink what should happen on this important public site—the Vanderbilt rail yards. There must be an outcry against Atlantic Yards, and the film is critical to reaching more and more people with this truth.
Did the finished movie differ much from the movie you set out to make?
Hill: Documentary filmmaking is a process. When you set out to make a documentary, you don’t know exactly where this great adventure will take you so there were things that evolved and changed over the course of making the film. But my frame of reference was always the same. I have worked as an urban planner in Brooklyn for over twenty years and it is through the lens of a planner that I viewed the Atlantic Yards project.
Images from Brooklyn Matters
April 24, 2008
Brooklyn Books It
There are people in Brooklyn who write books, according to an article in this week's Observer, a phenomenon that has resulted in a "literary community." The piece, which is actually thoughtful, includes a "somewhat arbitrary" "Brooklyn Literary 100" broken down by neighborhood. According to the list, the most literary neighborhood is the Slope, which boasts 20 writers/editors/assorted other literary types, followed by Fort Greene (19 bookish folks named, including Jhumpa Lahiri, Jennifer Egan and Colson Whitehead), and Boerum Hill, where 13 men/women of letters, including Jonathan Lethem, reside. We find it ironic that the most literary neighborhood in Brooklyn, by this account, is also the one that's seen the shuttering of two independent bookstores over the past year.
The Brooklyn Literary 100 [NY Observer]
Photo by mdash
April 22, 2008
Waterfall Art Project Coming to Life Under the Bridge
Construction has begun on what is sure to be the public art project of the year, according to the reader who snapped this photo of the base of the Brooklyn Bridge last night. Over the next few weeks, one of the four waterfalls designed by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson will be built under the Brooklyn side of the Bridge. Funded by $15 million in private donations to New York's Public Art Fund, the New York City Waterfalls project is expected to generate $55 million in revenues from tourism.
April 15, 2008
Closing Bell: Otterness In Situ
The Tom Otterness sculpture that we previewed last week is now on display at the corner of Washington and Prospect. A nod to the all the "pioneers" of Dumbo perhaps?
April 11, 2008
Artists Could Maybe (not) Return to Matzo Factory by May
According to two former 475 Kent Avenue residents—who along with 200 others were forced to vacate their lofts last January because of a dangerous matzo ball situation in the basement—there's some hope that the building's problems could be resolved by May. But they're skeptical. It's already been 12 weeks since they were forced out into the cold, with the landlord promising compliance as quickly as possible. "The FDNY is projecting they will lift the vacate order when the sprinkler system is done. It's taking longer than they expected at this juncture. However, it now looks as if the work will be done at the end of this month, but we worry about how work will stop for Passover," one artist, who asked not to be named, wrote in an email. "There is still work that needs to be done with the electricity and the gas lines after the sprinkler system is fixed, but FDNY says we can still move back in before all that work is done." That person said later, in a phone conversation, "There are guys in the Department of Buildings who are saying, 'No we can't live there anymore.' ... The Fire Department wants us back in there, they're trying to help us get back in there." Another former tenant said, "Truthfully, [it's] still up in the air. But the landlord told friends three weeks, a week and a half ago. I've seen May 1st written about on our email chain but people who know about Buildings etc. have expressed scepticism in return. And everything requires clearance by FDNY still."
Fire Department spokesman Jim Long said, "There is several violations and issues at that location and the onus is on the landlord to correct them, and once those have been corrected ... then they'll probably be allowed back in. But it's on the landlord." The Buildings Department didn't get back with an answer after several attempts. And Morris Hartman, vice president of 475 Kent owner Sheila Properties, said, "I can't comment on that exactly right now."
Meanwhile, 22 former residents are holding a "475 Kent Lives" exhibit at the Queens Museum of Art satellite gallery Bulova Corporate Center, 75-20 Astoria Boulevard in Jackson Heights. There's an opening reception tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. with performances by musicians from the building.
475 Kent Tenants to Bloomberg: Let Us Back In! [Brownstoner]
Glimmers of Hope for 475 Kent Residents [Brownstoner]
Hard times at Kent lofts[Metro]
Top photo by brucelabounty.
April 1, 2008
Latest Addition to BAM Complete
A few days ago the Brooklyn Academy of Music unveiled the new glass canopy outside its landmark Peter Jay Sharp building. The multi-million-dollar restoration of most of the building was completed a few years ago, and BAM's website says the canopy was supposed to be finished in 2005. The organization declined to comment on the addition since it's issuing a press release about it in a couple of days, but our understanding is that the structure marks the end of Peter Jay Sharp's restoration. How do you think it looks? GMAP
March 31, 2008
StreetLevel: Gowanus Gallery Opens
Last Thursday a new art gallery on Bond Street right off Union made its debut. Photographer/agent Bruce Kramer opened Bond Street Gallery with fellow shutterbug Robert DiScalfani, and its first exhibition is called "Coney Island of the Heart." The show features the work of Harold Feinstein and will run through May 8th. GMAP