Projects & Installations

Old Goat Karts
THE 62
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
www.the62.org

"You can't see it / It's _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ! / You can't do without it / It's _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ! / You can't resist it / It's _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ! / Come let us take you on a party ride / And we'll teach you, teach you, teach you / We'll teach you the electric drive."

A recognizable international pop hit and on the top charts here at home, sung to the theme of, we don't diagnose the electric car as dead.

The 62's work is based on a vision of sustainable culture and the belief that one man's junk is another man's dream. They use the streets of residential and industrial neighborhoods to harvest materials and inspiration, in hopes of bringing their creations back to the streets. They structure interactive experiences based on an urban vernacular that challenges the notion of conventional, store-bought entertainment that is so prevalent in our disposable culture.

Solarsisu
ANDERS BERGMAN + GREGOIRE ROUSSEAU
Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland
www.tuulanauhat.com/solar/

The Solarsisu is an interactive music instrument that operates on the same principle as a Theremin. The instrument consists of mini solar panels that make electricity out of sunlight, and then creates sound out of that electricity. Participants can simply play the Solarsisu with their hands. The word "-sisu " is Finnish for endure, guts.

Anders Bergman and Gregoire Rousseau began working together in 2006. Mr. Bergman had already been incorporating solar energy in his work for some time prior to that, focusing on sound installations. When Mr. Rousseau came in to add his technical skills and knowledge of electronic instrument making, all the pieces came together.

Albedo Cloud on the East River
sculpture of 550 white shirts with chair and reading material
THE CANARY PROJECT - Concept by Edward Morris and Jussara Lee; design
and engineering by Orlando Palacios, Heather Lyons and Edward Morris
Lives and works in New York, NY
www.canary-project.org

The Canary Project produces, curates and distributes art about climate change. The Albedo Cloud is part of an ongoing collaboration with fashion designer Jussara Lee and Orlando Palacios. The Albedo Cloud is a site-specific installation, made here as one cloud consisting of 550 white shirts. – Why 550 shirts? Because the European Union is seeking to get on top of rising carbon emissions by setting a stabilization target of 550 carbon parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere. Some people think this is too low and some think this is too ambitious. The U.S. has no stabilization target at all. Albedo is a measure of the earth's reflectivity. The more reflective the Earth, the less sun is absorbed and the cooler it stays. Ice and snow are white. When they melt, the earth gets less reflective, warmer. Then, more ice melts, and it gets even warmer. Clouds (even little ones on the East River) add to the Earth's albedo. Wearing white increases your own albedo. If that doesn't seem like enough, then do more! Reflect on your contribution to climate change. Each of the shirts here has been worn by someone, and nearly all of the shirts are made by a different manufacturer. Clustered together, the shirts dramatize collective action. It is also cool to sit under the shirts and read about relevant topics. After the installation comes down, some of the shirts will be re-donated and others will be
re-combined into dresses for the Canary Project's Albedo Pilgrims. (Who are the Albedo Pilgrims? Stay tuned.)

Experiments in Urban Camping
CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY + ALENA COONS OF THE ECO+ART COLLABORATIVE
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
www.ecoartcollaborative.org

Alena Coons and Christopher Kennedy (Eco+Art Collaborative) are nomadic campers in search of invisible tangents of energy that bind together natural and built environments on the earth. Traveling from coast to coast with a tent and a pair of mobile gardens, they observe, mingle, dance and co-habitate spaces with organisms and seek a re-enchantment with sources of ancient knowledge that compose the fundamentals of how to live with the earth sustainably and with simplicity.

Experiments in Urban Camping is an ongoing journey throughout various urban spaces around the country. The Eco+Art Collaborative seeks to inspire others to live simply in these spaces, to find wonder in the mundane by providing examples, instructions and inspiration on how to see this natural and man-made interplay clearer. This summer, they are concentrating on how to build a bio-intensive urban garden.

Ms. Coons and Mr. Kennedy are bystanders in the magical interplay of urban infrastructures and their moments of humor, coincidence and synchronicity. Through a display of camping endeavors and gardening experiments, they hope to inspire others to shed layers of technocratic and consumptive constructs and to embrace a life of tranquil coexistence with the earth and its processes.

Frontier Mythology
Cary Peppermint + Christine Nadir (EcoArtTech)
www.ecoarttech.net

Frontier Mythology consists of a mobile, solar-powered environmental digital video and FM radio installation made of recycled shipping pallets. Originally designed to be located along a remote section of the Appalachian Trail, Frontier Mythology's primitive, lean-to
structure and incorporation of new media technologies seeks to interrupt concepts of nature and wildness and presents a paradoxical basecamp that questions the sustainability and technological progress of modernity.

Cary Peppermint is a conceptual and performance artist working with digital technologies and "natural" environments. He is assistant professor of digital art at Colgate University where he teaches courses in the theory, practice, and history of digital art and new media. Christine Nadir is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, where she is completing her dissertation on modern environmental literature, art, and thought. She has taught at Columbia as well as Colgate University and presents her research internationally.
Ecoarttech.net is their collaborative platform of digital environmental art.

vs.
Stainless Steel Enclosure, CCTV System, Security Cameras, 15"LCD Monitor, Poured Concrete, etc.
CHARLES HARLAN
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
www.clay-pigeon.net/portfolio.html

"vs." is a video kiosk installed in Solar One's front lot at the midpoint between its building and the adjacent Gulf gas station. A pair of security cameras mounted atop a tall pole and aimed at the two buildings provides a live feed for the monitor. On screen the image of
the structures cuts quickly between the two creating a dizzying back-and-forth. The tension formed by the physical confrontation of these two buildings is an architectural metaphor of their opposing ideologies as reflected through their energy sources; the one being a solar powered community center, the other a distributor of fossil fuels. The sculpture puts the viewer at the midpoint of this debate by dispassionately presenting an image of two energy sources. As the viewer approaches the screen and watches the live video as it cuts between each building s/he becomes aware of this debate, and perceives
her/himself at the center of it. The viewer may feel the urge to choose "sides".

Charles Harlan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and received his BFA from New York University in 2006.

Transportable Sanctuaries
Vintage Suitcases, water pumps, Ultra-Sonic Mistmaker, vinyl, acrylic plexi, Spanish moss, LEDs, electrical circuits, electric switches, dinosaur plant, chandelier tubes, embroidery string, water, fruits, Nimh batteries, copper plates, soil, wire, papier-mâché, electrical tape, plastic toys, acrylic domes, masks, vintage basket
LENA IMAMURA
Lives and works in New York, NY

Growing up immersed in the urban ecosystem of New York City, Lena Imamura is constantly observing, criticizing and accepting the contradictory relationship between humans and nature - reflecting on the destructive yet artificially beautified setting of the city. She is concerned with remnants of hope in the preservation of our environmental future, lying under the weight of our massive cultural history. Currently she is approaching her last semester as a student at The Cooper Union School of Art.

Portable Sanctuaries encourages ideas of alternative building. The word building in this case is about the construction of sustainable structures, and alternative ways of living and thinking. The change needed for a better environmental future is as much mental as it is
physical.

As a response to this need of change, Ms. Imamura has encased worlds of wonderment inside vintage suitcases that are solar powered. Each world scales down the enormity of our environmental responsibilities into digestible and portable sanctuaries. The suitcases are symbolic of the baggage that past generations have left us with, such as the production systems and mass culture which catapulted environmental degradation. The compression of these worlds into suitcases are visually analogous to containing one's own belongings into a suitcase, such as while traveling. The worlds are separated by peepholes and cracks, which allow multiple viewers to share the environments together. This voyeuristic experience points out the removed relationship most people have with environmental issues, as they are seemingly too distant to respond to. With the opportunity to peer into these suitcases, curiosity is generated metaphorically. This curiosity also references the postmodern idea of "the gaze" and the rebirth of science and museums of the 17th century where visual information and science blended into a social activity by the act of viewing a display in a museum space. This made visual information and science blend into a social activity. Through the shared experiences of these sculptures, Ms. Imamura hopes to trigger the imagination, inspire, and promote collaboration as the key in sustainable innovations.

Garden Electric
MEGAN MACMURRAY + ANGELA PABLO
Lives and works in New York, NY
www.gardenelectric.com

We use electricity all the time, but it's a hidden process contained in plugs and kept behind walls. The Garden Electric visualizes our consumption of electricity through the life and death of its plants.

The Garden Electric consists of an array of flowers that are constructed by sculpting and inflating recycled plastic bags, creating a synthetic garden. The garden is daisy chained to a lamp through a current sensor which reads the amount of power being consumed. This value triggers fans which inflate and deflate the garden as a whole. When the lamp is turned off and energy is conserved, the garden thrives and stays inflated; when the lamp is on, the garden is placed in a dying state. As an approachable, hands-on environment, the Garden Electric invites visitors to affect the garden by turning appliances on and off, allowing electricity to take on a tactile form.

Megan MacMurray and Angela Pablo are recent graduates of NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. They research, tinker and develop creative ways of spreading the word about eco-friendly practices and alternative energy.

NYSAE Sound Garden
THE NEW YORK SOCIETY FOR ACOUSTIC ECOLOGY
www.nyacousticecology.org

The New York Society for Acoustic Ecology (NYSAE) is a membership organization dedicated to exploring and promoting public dialog concerning the sound in NYC. The NYSAE creates and encourages new ways of encountering the urban soundscape through lectures, performances, installations, a weekly web radio show on free103point9
called Giant Ear))), and the internationally exhibited ongoing NYSoundmap project. For Citysol, the NYSAE has installed a sound garden consisting of sonic sculptures, installations, soundwalks, and roving performances that utilize or enhance the awareness of environmental sounds at the wildlife habitat of Stuyvesant Cove. All sound works are solar, wind, water, or people powered. The participating installation artists are: Brett Ian Balogh, Andrea Callard, Andrea Polli, David Watson, and Andrea Williams. Todd Shalom
will be leading Soundwalks on Sunday, July 15th at 1pm and 3pm. At 2:30pm on Sunday, July 15th there will be Experimental Outdoor Ambulatory Sound Performances by: Michael Attias, Michael Evans, Kenta Nagai, David Watson, and Matthew Welch.

Oceanic
ANDREA WILLIAMS
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
www.lemurart.com

Oceanic explores the sounds of a highway drainpipe that is powered by riding a bicycle.

Andrea Williams is a Brooklyn-based artist, sound designer, and acoustic ecologist. Her work in radio, sound, video installation, and performance utilize site-specific elements and perceptual cues to make connections between people and their immediate natural, built, and cultural environment. Andrea has shown and performed in various galleries and alternative spaces, has sounds released on the Enterruption label, and recently was the sound designer for "Under The Skin", a multimedia dance performance at Stanford University on medical imagery and the female body.

Gnomon
BRETT IAN BALOGH
Lives and works in Chicago, IL
www.brettbalogh.com

Gnomon distills the elements of human form, creating an environment where the intangible nature of its interactions are made manifest through sound and motion. The installation indicates how a body's internal processes, physical form and environment influence each other. Brett Ian Balogh is an artist who works at the intersection between sound, space and objects and has exhibited nationally and internationally. He received his MFA in the Department of Art and Technology Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in
2007.

Slaphappy
DAVID WATSON + ANDREA CALLARD
Lives and works in New York, NYSlaphappy is a sound sculpture above the water's surface along the path railing at Stuyvesant Cove Park. Various metal and wooden pipes are configured so the piece sounds itself with the motion of the wind and the water.

David Watson's work on highland bagpipes subverts conventional expectations, drawing on traditional sources, electronica and experimental improvisation. Active in New York since 1987 he has performed in clubs, new music and concert venues around the world. His most recent release is "Throats" on the Ecstatic Peace label, described as " brain rearranging massive walls of constantly shifting drone …[and] ….the first major furtherance of Yoshi Wada's concept of psychedelic bagpipe minimalism".

Andrea Callard's interdisciplinary practice moves through fine art, communication media, and education. She recently made three sound pieces: Protest, Transport, Celebrate, a new version of Tunings by R. Buckminster Fuller, and audiobus.org. PS1, The Museum of the Chinese in America, Creative Time and many others have published or presented
her work. Her field recordings from downtown New York City in the 70's. are with her papers in the Downtown Collection at the Fales Library, NYU.

N.
ANDREA POLLI + JOE GILMORE
Lives and works in New York, NY
www.andreapolli.com

Andrea Polli 's projects often offer new readings of data produced by natural systems. She currently works in collaboration with meteorological and environmental scientists to develop systems for understanding storms and climate through sound, and will travel to
Antarctica this winter to collaborate with scientists there.

Joe Gilmore is a UK based artist and designer and the co-creator of rand()%, a generative net.radio station. rand()% is a radio station that is entirely automated, where every program transmitted is composed in realtime by computer. His work has been presented throughout Europe including the prestigious Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria.

Solar Xylophone
RORY NUGENT
Lives and works in New York City Metro Area
www.prize-pony.com

The Solar Xylophone is a solar powered, solar controlled musical instrument that gives a tangible voice to something as seemingly intangible as the sun. Mr. Nugent designed the Solar Xylophone as an experiment in creating an autonomous musical instrument that feeds itself off of natural elements and warmly tinges the surrounding environment. He has imagined the xylophone to exist in a public space that builds upon the existing landscape and allows for a participatory public activity that is as rudimentary as listening.

Rory Nugent is a programmer, environmentalist, and fledgling electronic artist currently studying Interactive Design at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. Despite being new to the field, he is spending his time building and designing work that is inspired by nature and focuses on reacquainting people with their environment. He has recently become very interested in photovoltaic cells and its ability to not only power our electronics in intelligent and responsible ways but also allow for compelling themes in our artistic work.

I (heart) PV
SARAH NICOLE PHILLIPS
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
www.sarahnicolephillips.com

"I (heart) PV" is a solar powered installation embedded within the existing architecture of Stuyvesant Cove Park. The site-specific piece transforms the hollowed junctures where structural beams connect into sources of gentle light, which emit a gentle glow at dusk. After a sunny day, the energy captured by the photovoltaic cells and stored in rechargeable batteries will power LED lights for approximately eight hours. Each recess is covered by a translucent surface emblazoned with symbols inspired by those ubiquitous to the New York City street-scape. The result is a subtle intervention that blends into the urban environment alluding to a future when photovoltaic technology in New York could be a commonplace as Milton Glaser's logo has become on our streets.

Sarah Nicole Phillips is a Toronto-born, Brooklyn-based visual artist who has exhibited widely in Canada and the US. Phillips' practice draws from imagery from the tier of popular culture that hovers just below our visual horizon, with which most people have had mundane experience and associations. In 2004 she moved to New York to pursue
a Masters in Fine Art with a concentration in printmaking at Brooklyn College. She completed her MFA in the spring of 2006, despite her class' final thesis show being censored and shut down by the city of New York. Ms. Phillips is active in New York's bicycle activism community and printmaking community. She is currently participating in a year-long residency at the Lower East Side Printshop.

Untitled
plastic bags
CAROLINE WOOLARD
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY
carolinewoolard.blogspot.com

Caroline Woolard creates platforms for experience. She subverts domestic objects like chairs and lights to cultivate everyday magic. She explores the space between people and architecture: making a place for the body amidst gigantic buildings on the street of NY and finding new ways to occupy pedestrian space. Her public interventions have been part of ProvFlux in RI and ConFlux NY in 2006. Recently, Ms. Woolard has molded both light and the ocean to her face, made light tangible, collected the salt of her tears and released traces of her body to the sky.

Growing up on an island and swimming between two blues daily, the artist recalls an eternal yearning, never fulfilled, for the unobstructed horizon. In New York, traffic flows between corridors of endless vertical height. She shifts my gaze skywards because the horizon has already been conquered.

For Citysol, in conjunction with the 30th year of plastic shopping bags (on shelves since 1977), Caroline Woolard transformed the volume under her sink into a rope of uplifting potential. Video and other documentation of her journey can be seen at plasticbagrope.blogspot.com.

Bottle House
re-used bottles from New York residents, companies and recycling facilities
JASMINE ZIMMERMAN
Lives and works Everywhere
www.jasminezimmerman.com

Led by Artist Jasmine Zimmerman, BOTTLE HOUSE is an interactive portable Greenhouse made from thousands of used plastic bottles from New York City residents. The hemispherical form will be in process throughout the festival as visitors help build the structure, simultaneously serving as a waterfront light space to retreat into. After the festival, BOTTLE HOUSE will travel throughout New York City to empty lots, rooftops, vacant buildings, parks, barges, etc. (with an open call for destination proposals sent to the Artist: jasmine@jasminezimmerman.com).

Marrying art and the environment, Jasmine Zimmerman is a performance installation artist using everyday objects that are typically disposed of to create site-specific participatory installations in public spaces. Fusing community and the environment, her work creates experiences for people to interact with one another, transforming public spaces into convergence points.