Whose Space? Our Space! Artists, dancers and activists redefine public space

Whose Space? Our Space!
Artists, dancers and activists redefine public space.
Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo)
August 3 - September 23, 2012                                                                                        
Opening Reception: August 3, 6-10pm
     Performances by Heather Roffe @ 7:30 & K. Reagan @ 8:30
Artists’ Talk: August 5 @ 1pm
Performing Public Space with Rochester Contemporary Dance Collective:    
     Sept. 22, 3pm - 6pm Free!

(7/20/2012) Rochester, NY Rochester Contemporary Art Center is pleased to announce Whose Space? Our Space! a the challenging, topical State of the City exhibition related the places we share and inhabit. Presented in partnership with The Memorial Art Gallery, Whose Space? Our Space! asks the question: “How are artists and activists redefining public space today?.” The makers, performers, collectives and groups featured in the exhibition address specific concepts and conventions of public space in relation to: Surveillance, Protest and Humor/Absurdity. The exhibition takes its title from the popular protest chant: “Whose Streets? Our Streets!”.

The Bloody Noes (Rochester, NY) Teaming up since 2008, The Bloody Noes (DJ Cardboard and MC Drywall) bring myriad forms of entertainment to Rochester and beyond. They have produced noise music duets, theatrical plays (Santanalia, Apocalypse, Frankenstein), infectious pop music, allegorical pantomimes, the Dude Symposium, and mysterious devices of curious purpose.

Jim Day (Rochester, NY) Photographer Jim Day is fascinated with the complex architecture of cities. For this exhibition, Day has used the 3D photographic process to document the depth and unique character of some of Rochester’s iconic, historic and confused public spaces. Some of these locations such as Washinton Sq. Park have complex histories and have been the sites of debates surrounding public space. All photographed at night and usually devoid of people, the intended, actual and accepted use of these locations are called into question.

inFluxdance (Salt Lake City, UT) Originally founded in 2004, inFlux dance is a contemporary dance theatre group that aims to inspire social change through both the more traditional audience found at live performances and the community audience found at other outreach programs. inFluxdance’s installation for Whose Space? Our Space! will build upon a previous performance work from 2010 entitled Justice For Some which documents and explores the history of protest and social movements.

Matthew Keeney (Syracuse, NY) Keeney’s Found Space project lighheartedly explores the often ignored slices of the urban environment. While visiting the different boroughs of New York City, Keeney placed myself in unused spaces that he found in parks, streets, sidewalks, subway stations, etc. The resulting documentation photographs humorously record a human body rigidly inhabiting the formerly lost spaces that caught Keeney’s attention. The simplicity of this gesture allows us to envision ourselves in “Found Spaces” of our own.

James Paulsen (Albany, NY) In 2008, the city of Buffalo, NY installed 56 wireless surveillance cameras on strategic street corners, and  Paulsen’s series of oil paintings Transformation of the Public Sphere document this occurrence. The viewer follows the three viewpoints of the cameras:  a straight on view of the camera in the public space, a view of the camera body with a distorted reflection of the street/intersection on the surface of the glass sphere, and finally, the distorted reflection of the public sphere itself. The transformation of public space is demonstrated as the public space is inverted, captured, and distorted in the eye of the camera.

Occupy Rochester (Rochester and Beyond) Perhaps no other movement in recent history has transformed the public’s involvement in and awareness of public space more than Occupy Wall Street and related Occupy protests around the US and beyond. Will we ever view a tent in the city the same way? Originating on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District the Occupy protests spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. Whose Space? Our Space! explores how Occupy Rochester transformed Washington Square Park.

Launched in 2008, State of the City exhibitions bring together artists from various backgrounds and disciplines who document and explore Upstate NY cities. This series of exhibitions features local, emerging, established and international artists. State of the City exhibitions engage the public and creative professionals in considering and envisioning the history and future of upstate cities. This vital series of exhibitions will continue to generate important discussions across the art community and foster productive collaborations between artists, cultural institutions, urban planning/architecture professionals and the general public in Upstate/Western NY.

Rochester Contemporary Art Center is non-profit and a venue for the exchange of ideas. As a center for thoughtful contemporary art RoCo provides unique encounters for audiences and extraordinary opportunities for artists.