#splittingimage

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Jonny Niesche floats like a butterfly at his debut in Vienna entitled "Splitting Image" at Zeller van Almsick #splittingimage #vienna #jonnyniesche #zellervanalmsick (at Franz Josefs Kai 3)

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Time & Tide | Seaport Museum

TIME & TIDE The Waterfront in Film, 1903-2011 Curated by James Sander January 26 – December 31, 2012 One of the most essential qualities of the New York waterfront is also one of its most contradictory. More so even than the rest of the city, the waterfront is a place of constant transformation, where changing forms of transportation and commerce – and, in recent decades, a profound shift from industry to recreational and residential use – have all but remade the urban landscape. Yet by its very nature, the water is one of the city’s few truly elemental places, an environment defined in large part by the abiding character of the water itself – the lapping of waves, the glints of sunlight, the unbroken expanses of cloud and sky. It is this paradoxical mix of constancy and change -- a place “standing yet hurried,” as Walt Whitman put it a century and a half ago – that underlies the concept for Time & Tide. Through the simultaneous projection of documentary films from the early 20th century to today, the installation at once presents crucial historic moments in the evolution of the New York waterfront, while seeking to evoking a place where time itself, as Whitman suggests, “avails not.” Center Screen Manhatta (excerpts). 1921. Directed by Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand. Music by Cinematic Orchestra. The Twenty-Four Dollar Island (excerpts). 1927. Directed by Robert J. Flaherty. Music by Donald Sosin. Under the Brooklyn Bridge (excerpts). Robert Fitzdale and Arthur Gold. Bridges-Go-Round. 1958. Directed by Shirley Clarke. Music by Louis and Bebe Barron. 1953. Directed by Rudy Burckhardt. Piano score by Left Screen Splitting Image. 2011. Created by Alex Villar. In his video, Villar presents two simultaneous paths from Wall Street in Manhattan to India Street in Brooklyn, by way of the new East River ferry service. On the right, a daily commuter sits within the ferry cabin, gazing onto today’s redeveloped waterfront of parks, highways, and housing developments. On the left, an “alternative” traveler makes the same journey precariously perched on the vessel’s exterior, glimpsing remnants of the waterfront’s industrial past. Right Screen Sky Scrapers of New York City, from North River. Thomas A. Edison, May 20th, 1903. Cameraman: James Blair Smith. Panorama, water front and Brooklyn Bridge from East River. Thomas A. Edison, May 20th, 1903. Cameraman: Edwin S. Porter. Panorama, Blackwell’s Island. Thomas A. Edison, May 20th, 1903. Cameraman: Edwin S. Porter. SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM 12 Fulton Street New York, NY 10038 212.748.8600 www.seany.org

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Splitting Image

Splitting Image is said to be the originary version of the saying Spitting Image, meaning an exact likeness. According to social historian Dorothy Hartley, the evenness and symmetry which the term conveys would have been obtained by pairing two split halves of the same tree. There are competing positions on this view but as it is the case with the genealogy of many sayings, the history of a term becomes enmeshed with its fictionalized account in the popular imaginary. In that sense, Splitting Image continues to convey the sense of an exact likeness, while retaining the notion of a splitting into two of the same subject. This is the point in the story that is pertinent for the current project, which takes as its point of departure a commuting experience: a one-way trip on the New York East River Ferry starting at Pier 11 on Wall Street and ending at the India Street terminal in Greenpoint. This short journey connects the Financial district to what used to be a working-class neighborhood. Greenpoint's demographics have been changing since the mid 80s. In some ways, it mirrored the residential conversions of industrial buildings that had already taken place in Williamsburg. The rezoning of 175 of its blocks in 2005 increased the pace of this change; it brought about a boom in the construction sector. Since then this process was halted by the 2008 financial downturn, leaving a variety of unresolved environmental and infrastructural issues on the table. A polarizing issue, which the current project seizes up as its backdrop, is the effort to reclaim the waterfront for recreational use and the inclusion of a promenade into the Newtown Creek area. The main character in this video was modeled on the image of the daily commuter. In other words, someone who wants to go from point A to point B, even while needing to endure some stops in between. Like the commuter, the goal of this character is simply to make it home. For that purpose he takes the boat just like the commuter, he also chooses to go in the same direction. In this sense he is a lot like the commuter. One could venture to say that he is the spitting image of the commuter. But that would only be so if wasn't for the fact that the choices he makes, every step of the way, are nothing like the ones the commuter makes. While the commuter walks through the proper passageway that leads into the boat, he finds his way to the boat via the supporting alleys, if not directly through the water. While the commuter finds a comfortable seat inside the boat, he ties himself up to the outer side of the boat. Unlike the commuter who wears regular clothes, he wears a full wetsuit since he expects to do what it takes to reach his destination and that could well mean getting in the water. While the commuter looks through the window toward the new offices and residential buildings, he focuses instead on industrial buildings and the docking apparatus on the piers. He can't help but explore the different angles and possibilities the journey offers. In that sense he is nothing like the commuter who seems to have gotten accustomed with the trip to the point of going through it via the path of least resistance, which is of course the path of full compliance with the norms of conduct put in place to normalize behavior. That's a path the main character will decidedly not take since he is anything if not combative. He will be glad to face every obstacle as if they were in fact placed on his way just to cause him to overcome them. In a way he is like a splitting image of the commuter, someone who might even wish the same but who wishes it differently. The emphasis on treading a path that is slightly peripheric in relation to an established one is a recurring trope in my work. Most recently, in On the Egde, a video realized during a residency in Stockholm, the main character is shown walking through a series of narrow paths, typically adjacent to the proper spaces meant for passersby. In 'Splitting Image,' this device is also at play, but this time the situation is enhanced by the shooting of the scenes from two slightly different angles, one focused on the commuter's path, the other on the main character. Except for a few reversals in the left–right screen placement of the image, the characters from each side don't meet in the same filmic plane; they occupy a parallel space, but not a coextensive one.

Splitting Image, 4 min 40 sec video, 2 channels, silent, color, 2011. The video was first shown at Bring to Light/Nuit Blanche as a double projection onto the rolling doors of the building on East Noble South (N2) in Greenpoint. The decayed industrial cityscape of the area, coupled with the waving pattern on these two doors provide an ideal background for the contents of the projected image.

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Bring to Light | Nuit Blanche New York

BRING TO LIGHT Nuit Blanche New York Ethan Vogt, Executive Director Allison Kline, Artist Liaison Saturday, October 1st, 2011 6pm to Midnight Bring to Light is a free nighttime public festival of art in New York City that takes place simultaneously with “nuit blanche” events in cities around the world. Inviting emerging and established artists to make site-specific installations of light, sound, performance and projection art, the event creates an immersive spectacle for thousands of visitors to re-imagine public space and civic life. Bring to Light will transform streets, parks and the industrial waterfront of Greenpoint, Brooklyn set against dramatic views of the Manhattan skyline. Nestled in the northwest corner of Brooklyn, Greenpoint has historically enjoyed relative anonymity due to its isolation and industrial zoning. In recent years, an influx of newcomers to the area has made Greenpoint one of the neighborhoods with the highest concentration of artists in the city. A rezoning program in 2005 created a master plan for parks and public access to the waterfront and led to increased interest from residential developers. As plans advance for the future of the neighborhood, particularly for the Greenpoint industrial waterfront, the opinions and wishes of local community members, advocates, and officials endeavor to be part of the conversation as this area is transformed. Through this artistic intervention, Bring to Light hopes to engage the public in this dialogue and leave lasting positive impacts. Nuit Blanche (French for “white night” or “all-nighter”) is a global network of locally-organized nighttime contemporary art events. Originating in Paris in 2001, the nuit blanche concept now involves millions of people in cities around the world. ARTISTS Aaron Siegel, Alex Villar, Alex Waterman, Alyssa Taylor Wendt, Amanda Long, Andrei Severny, Behnaz Babazadeh, Camille Scherrer, Chakaia Booker, CHiKA, Chris Jordan & Josh Goldberg, Chris Woebkin, Colin Snapp, Commercial Break, Daniel Canogar, David B. Smith Devan Harlan and Olek, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Dustin Yellin, Eiji Sumi, Justin Riley and Wolfgang Gil, Eli Keszler, Elisabeth Smolarz, Ellis & Cuius, F.P. Boué, Fair Use Trio, Fanny Allié, Gabriel Barcia-Colombo, Jason Peters, Jeff Desom, Jeremy Blake, Jo Wood-Brown, Jules Marquis, Kant Smith, Karen Ostrom, Karin Hodgin Jones, Karolina Sobecka, Kon Trubkovich, Konstantin Sergeyev, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Leif Parsons, Lucky Dragons, Marcos Zotes, Nat Evans, Nathan Kensinger, Organelle Design and Elliott+Goodman, Parker Genné, Poetry Performance and Projection, PrePost, Ramon Schreuder, Raphaele Shirley, Reader, Richard Serra, Rita Ackermann, Sean Boggs, Sean McIntyre & Reid Bingham, Shai Fuller, Jocelyn Oppenheim, Jacob Segal, Bryce Suite, with Chris Jordan, So Percussion, Stepan Boltalin & Ezer Longinus, The Vandalights, Ugly Art Room, Urban Infills, Ursula Scherrer & K. L. T., Valeska Soares, Vicki DaSilva, Warm Engine, Weston Currie & Grouper, Z Collective, Zimoun. MORE INFO Website Facebook Page Facebook Event RSVP flavorpill.com DIRECTIONS By water The East River Ferry runs regular service to the India Street Pier until 8:30PM. Special ferries will run from 8:30PM until Midnight. Service will be between the India Street Pier, E. 34th St. in Manhattan & N. 7th St. in Williamsburg with boats arriving every 15 minutes. By Train G Train to Greenpoint Ave. Walk (2min) down Greenpoint Ave. to the site. This Saturday, G Trains will be replaced by shuttle buses running every 10 minutes. L Train to Bedford Ave. Walk (15min) to water then North on Kent which becomes Franklin to reach festival site. By Bicycle Bicycle parking will be available at Franklin St. and Milton St. By Taxi/Car Service Please drop at Greenpoint Ave and Franklin St. From there, it is a one block walk to the site.

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