Convergence Center
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Convergence Center from GammaBlog on Vimeo.
Creative Time’s year-long program Democracy in America: The National Campaign culminates in the Convergence Center: a major exhibition, participatory project space, and meeting hall mounted in New York City’s Park Avenue Armory just in time for election season.
My video includes an interview with Chitra Ganesh talking about Index of the Disappeared. The show goes from playful to thoughful, to terrifying to silly with everything scattered throughout the huge Park Avenue Armory. I enjoyed exploring the building, you have access up to the fourth floor. I shot it early Sunday afternoon before the performers and speakers were scheduled. The unknown Karaoke guy at the end was the only person with guts enough to lay it all out on the line while I was there.
643 Park Avenue at 66th Street, Manhattan
Noon to 10PM – $free
Continues through September 27
creativetime.org/programs/archive/2008/democracy/convergence.php
The main hall, viewed from the second floor Moose room.
Never Forget, Never Forgive, They Left Us to Die – Dread Scott
Kissing President Bush – Rachel Mason
The Waterboard Thrill Ride – Steve Powers
These are the instructions posted outside the booth that was originally in Coney Island.
Of the people, by the people, for the people. – Steve Lambert. Here the Pentagon was re-imagined with Cthulhu getting involved.
This person thought the building would serve us better as the Department of Cheeses.
creative time failed this time around.
the space was too big, not enough artists to fill it. exhibitions scattered all over the place. the speakers were too short. i just got home after making a second trip to the armory to hear steve kurtz speak. steve kurtz spoke for 10 min, a rather informative 10 min, but still…. afterwards the moderator ran up and said that there are speakers every hour, come back in (checks his watch) 50 min.
then you have the volunteers who know absolutely nothing. on top of that creative time is trying to be bigger than they really are, trying to attract mainstream media, and offering them free reign, yet on the other hand don’t want to deal with small photographers like you and me. wtf? these ppl are worse than the establishment they are trying to challenge with this exhibit.
democracy is all about participation, engaging in dialog, challenge. creative time’s exhibit on democracy is very passive, docile.
Please tell me this is a butter sculpture.
Yes and, everyone got hot dinner rolls as they came through the door….Actually it’s plaster.
This is strange ld. My experience was very different. They let me shoot wherever I wanted, and introduced me to one of the artists.
I loved being able to, just about, crawl all over the place. I went in the early afternoon, wanting to get photos and video while the sun was shining.
It is spread out, but so what. I think they were hoping for more audience participation with the soapbox and karaoke areas, and didn’t have speakers or band blaring out in competition. Yes some of the art was a little weak, but there were other amazing things to do and see, all over.
Excellent video. I really appreciate that people are doing these things…gives me faith in some of my fellow Americans. And the Karaoke guy rocked…At first it struck me as funny, but as the footage rolled and you showed shots of some of the artwork it really moved me. Rock and roll.
Excellent video. I really appreciate that people are doing these things…gives me faith in some of my fellow Americans. And the Karaoke guy rocked…At first he struck me as funny, but as the footage rolled and you showed shots of some of the artwork it really moved me. Rock and roll.
And I think you’ll appreciate. In the video the veteran says it all – and in the sweetest of voices -
rawstory.com/news/2008/Arrest_BushCheney_banner_at_Nation…
Thanks Irene, I should hire you as publicist for the GammaBlog empire. The Karaoke guy was pretty silly, I had to leaven that with some stark reality.
yep, it’s where all the f*cking money goes. unaudited to boot.
Think of all the cheese that budget would buy. Everyone could live in a house made of gourmet cheese.
i was thinking just the other day about the right’s use of the derogatory phrase "brie and chablis" crowd. i mean, could that be any more dated? is there anyone in america today who thinks that brie is a fancy gourmet cheese? lol
now parmagiano, i could live in a house made out of that!
Oh, I was thinking of the orange Kraft cheese in a block, not the singles.
or how about a cheeze whiz house, that would rock!
OK, Raymond, you win, there is no lower to go.