BREAKING THE CYCLE
APR
2015
Old Bronx Borough Courthouse
NYC
Juan Betancurth and Daniel Neumann
BREAKING THE CYCLE
“The future has been cancelled. We go as far as we can.”
[Entrance]
This installation is part of No Longer Empty's exhibition When You Cut into the Present the Future Leaks Out at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse.
In a climate of paralysis, alienation and over-stimulation Juan B. and Daniel N. are creating a sparse environment of ambiguous objects, charged through ontological displacement and sound. Then they take a step back.
[Installation View]
[Cinema Speaker (1945), Steel Props and Cinder Blocks (Found on Site)]
The objects, derived from technological relics, are now on their own, forming an interconnected installation articulated through sound. The objects are vibrating, idling, speaking up at times. A heavy atmosphere dwells in this seemingly forgotten basement space, to which access is sculpturally and architecturally restricted. It requires gestures, an initial relating of the visitor's body to this subconscious field, a small rite-of-passage to put you within. You amongst them. Enjoy your stay.
[Installation View with Leakage and Artificial Fog]
[Suspended Subwoofer Box, 6x4x4, Fabricated for Site, Blocking the Actual Entrance]
There were multiple events activating the installation. This is the Closing:
About the exhibition
The Old Bronx Borough Courthouse is taken as both site and theme: a time capsule, witness, and symbol existing within a plurality of narratives about its future role in the neighborhood. Referencing a quote by Beat generation poet William S. Burroughs, When You Cut into the Present the Future Leaks Out echoes approaches attributed to cut-up poetry, early Hip-Hop, Spoken Word, and the sculptural practice of artist Gordon Matta-Clark, who sliced into urban spaces as social commentary. The exhibition will occupy three floors and include the works of 26 artists and site-specific works commissioned by No Longer Empty. Curated by Regine Basha for No Longer Empty
The courthouse was built between 1905–1914 and is attributed to architects Michael John Garvin and Oscar Florianus Bluemner, the Courthouse, once boasting granite floors, lavish stairways, and bronze doors, remains adorned by a statue of Lady Justice. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Bronx County, the Beaux Arts-style building has been shuttered for 37 years.
BREAKING THE CYCLE
“The future has been cancelled. We go as far as we can.”
[Entrance]
This installation is part of No Longer Empty's exhibition When You Cut into the Present the Future Leaks Out at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse.
In a climate of paralysis, alienation and over-stimulation Juan B. and Daniel N. are creating a sparse environment of ambiguous objects, charged through ontological displacement and sound. Then they take a step back.
[Installation View]
[Cinema Speaker (1945), Steel Props and Cinder Blocks (Found on Site)]
The objects, derived from technological relics, are now on their own, forming an interconnected installation articulated through sound. The objects are vibrating, idling, speaking up at times. A heavy atmosphere dwells in this seemingly forgotten basement space, to which access is sculpturally and architecturally restricted. It requires gestures, an initial relating of the visitor's body to this subconscious field, a small rite-of-passage to put you within. You amongst them. Enjoy your stay.
[Installation View with Leakage and Artificial Fog]
[Suspended Subwoofer Box, 6x4x4, Fabricated for Site, Blocking the Actual Entrance]
There were multiple events activating the installation. This is the Closing:
About the exhibition
The Old Bronx Borough Courthouse is taken as both site and theme: a time capsule, witness, and symbol existing within a plurality of narratives about its future role in the neighborhood. Referencing a quote by Beat generation poet William S. Burroughs, When You Cut into the Present the Future Leaks Out echoes approaches attributed to cut-up poetry, early Hip-Hop, Spoken Word, and the sculptural practice of artist Gordon Matta-Clark, who sliced into urban spaces as social commentary. The exhibition will occupy three floors and include the works of 26 artists and site-specific works commissioned by No Longer Empty. Curated by Regine Basha for No Longer Empty
The courthouse was built between 1905–1914 and is attributed to architects Michael John Garvin and Oscar Florianus Bluemner, the Courthouse, once boasting granite floors, lavish stairways, and bronze doors, remains adorned by a statue of Lady Justice. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Bronx County, the Beaux Arts-style building has been shuttered for 37 years.