Staten Island OWS exhibition: The Smell of a Critical Moment

Project: The Smell of a Critical Moment 

January 14th

Organizers: Gayil Nalls, artist
            Sophia Marisa Lucas, curator
Partners: Second Saturdays in Staten Island (Brendan Coyle)
        99 Occupiers  
        (Possibly Jean Toche)
Location: Doorways at 62 Van Duzer Street in Staten Island 
        (very accessible from the Ferry Terminal)

Mission:
To engage Staten Island’s North Shore community in dialog with OWS. Staten Island is overwhelmingly conservative, except for it’s North Shore area, and few from this community have been mobilized to join the movement. It is home to a predominantly lower-middle and lower class demographic, including many artists, musicians and immigrants of Mexico, Sri Lanka, Gana and Liberia. 

The conceptual framework for the project is not quite a direct action or form of cultural resistance, but rather an endeavor to further introduce the movement to those who have never been in Zuccotti Park, through an intellectual and sensorial experience. For those whose sole understanding of the movement comes via the lens of media coverage, not only is their perception of the movement’s  participants limited, but their sensitivity to the overall message is hindered by their lack of physical connectivity to the resisting body.  The expectation is that through this increased affinity, that by the end of the exhibition, locals will be more engaged with the veritable ideas of the movement, making for a powerfully participatory closing reception, which serves as generative element for uniting people in this isolated borough.

Background: 
Artist Gayil Nalls has studied collective behavior and massing for 30 years. Her knowledge of the importance of chemoperception in unifying groups of people, beyond their intellectual affinities, has led her to a further exploration of olfaction. In this exhibition, viewers will be introduced to this important component of the phenomena of group activity both theoretically and experientially, to encourage the natural human affinity that occurs in shared physical space, which cannot yet be translated through technology. 

About Second Saturdays in Staten Island:
SSSI is a monthly art walk in Staten Island’s North Shore. The walk includes “gallery openings and cultural events taking place in public spaces, popup galleries, restaurants, cafes, artist studios and apartments”**. The walk was founded by artists Brendan Coyle and Amanda Curtis, and is now organized solely by  Coyle.  When Coyle and Curtis first organized in SSSI they saw the an opportunity to 1. make use of vacant or under utilized spaces in the neighborhood for public enjoyment 2. unite an older generation of artists in the community with the younger generation that was moving in, and ease any tensions. 3. to enliven the arts community through this unification, and bring new relevance to its inner dynamics while sustaining the community outside of the blue chip standard.

The art walk has a steady and vibrant following, whose participation in this experience could help create a foothold for OWS motives in Staten Island. 

** http://www.secondsaturdaystatenisland.com/ 
  
Proposal:   
As the viewer enters the space, they will encounter a long, horizontal row of white t-shirts in various stages of wear. They are likely to perceive a scent, the presence of humans. As they approach they rack of t-shirts, they will notice descending tags. Upon viewing them they will read the names, bio, formal statements of dissent of the former wearer, and a means of contacting him or her. The scent of the t-shirts tell their own story. Those represented will include both campers and active members who maintain jobs and other responsibilities outside of the park. The shirts will have been worn by each individual for the previous week, and absorbed the molecular form of the current enigmatic state of democracy. The opportunity for participants to reveal themselves, in sensorial and biographical information and for viewers to contact them renders a form of transparency which helps the vital debate emerge.  

The Aestheics of Mass Anatomy 
This work is a continuation of the exploration of collective behavior that characterizes the work of Gayil Nalls. Her decades-long investigation of the “aesthetics of mass anatomy”, will be encompassed by revealing her daily practice of coming five different newspapers for images of massing events. Walls of the space will be plastered floor to ceiling with these images, and low pedestals will hold stacks of more newspapers. 

Logistics:
Ninety-nine white t-shirts will be distributed to volunteer Occupiers. These shirts will need to be worn for a minimum duration of five days. 

Along with the t-shirts, participants will receive a form to be completed with the following information: name, age, bio, contact info (# to text, or email) and chosen protest slogan. Participants may chose to remain anonymous or use aliases, but biographical information should be accurate so as to give a veritable depiction of the range of backgrounds present in the park.

This information will then be transcribed onto standard manilla garment tags (printed on clear labels and adhered)

The exhibition will open on (the 2nd) Saturday, January 14th with a reception and will close on (the 2nd) Saturday, February 11th  with a reception.

(Opening and closing events are currently being considered. Options are: 
an artist talk with Gayil Nalls, a reading by Jean Toche, and a performance by Brendan Coyle)

The space will be open Friday-Sunday from 12am-5pm.

Volunteer gallery sitters will be recruited. Effort is being made to raise funds to compensate sitters with a daily lunch and travel stipend.