Bubbles performing live in Christian Joy's installation Bok Joy . Photo by M. Pardo.

Anxious Spaces: Performance Festival

Anxious Spaces: Installation as Catalyst introduces a new generation of artists who are based in New York, partner regularly with alternative event spaces and collectives throughout Brooklyn and beyond, and utilize installation work as a platform for performance. As Knockdown begins its exploration of this very intersection through its ambitious programs and expansive architecture, the exhibition brings a dynamic selection of these artists onto its grounds for a month of on-site development, culminating in this day-long celebration of the work and its fluid transformation from environment to stage.

The event features performances by:
Brian Chase @Drum Circle
Mummy by Desi Santiago

Trabajo @The Ruin

Dutch E Germ @Drum Circle

Bubbles @Christian Joy's installation room

Self Love Ceremony, VNESSWOLFCHILD, Cloud Becomes Your Hand @The Ruin

Tyondai Braxton @Drum Circle

Mummy by Desi Santiago

VNESSWOLFCHILD @The Ruin

Raul de Nieves @The Tomb

Mick Barr @Drum Circle

Ryan Power @The Ruin

The event features performances by: 2:30pm Brian Chase @Drum Circle 3:15pm Mummy by Desi Santiago 3:35pm Trabajo @The Ruin 4:15pm Dutch E Germ @Drum Circle 4:55pm Bubbles @Christian Joy's installation room (5-6:30pm) Self Love Ceremony, VNESSWOLFCHILD (every 15 min) 5:30pm Cloud Becomes Your Hand @The Ruin 6:15pm Tyondai Braxton @Drum Circle 6:55pm Mummy by Desi Santiago 7:30pm VNESSWOLFCHILD @The Ruin 8:00pm Raul de Nieves @The Tomb 8:30pm Mick Barr @Drum Circle 9:10pm Ryan Power @The Ruin + Special Guests Performing with Zero to 0 This event requests a suggested donation of $7-15, on a sliding scale. 2-10pm.

Hisham Bharoocha and Ranjit Bhatnagar join forces for Zero to 0, an exploration of the extent to which a machine can replicate and transmit human expression using a basic instrument: the drum. The installation plays on the drum’s role in the origin of music and its fixed place in both a collective and individual awareness of musical history. This connection is questioned in Zero to 0, when the artists test a machine’s ability to distort or comprehend the physical and mental experience of sound vibration. For the exhibition, 20, 20-inch kick drums, are set in a circle in the main space and tuned in an audio gradient within one key. The drums are mechanized to run independently and robotically react to performers and visitors to Knockdown. Large-scale figurative sculptor, ornamental shoe and garment designer and multimedia performance artist, Raul de Nieves, creates multicolored beaded and plaster sculptural works for the installation of Celebration. His figures take the form of children representing the different stages of life, a developing theme he tackles in the outlandish performance that accompanies the exhibition. In an off-site “ruin” at the Maspeth space, Ben Wolf constructs Coliseum of Bliss Tint Token, his monument of decadent abandonment. Coliseum of Bliss Tint Token is a site-specific installation that uses the harmonious shape of the ancient yet simple circle. Focusing on the circle as the core defining shape, Wolf uses construction scaffolding to radiate out, engulfing the windows, doorways, and walls of the 100-year-old building known as the Ruin. Although made from rough rusty materials and presented in a massive scale the overall shape and custom angles achieves a surprisingly quiet harmony. Wolf considers this ambitious installation to be an homage to the source of joy and to the allure of time’s mark on material. Experiential/experimental VnessWolfChild performs in Wolf's installation. Nightlife subculture explorer Desi Santiago creates a massive fallen idol, an all-white mummy with mirror eyes and flowing hair. The decapitated head will lie in Knockdown's great hall until the time of its grand procession comes, at which point the ceremonial parade through the property begins. DIY guru Christian Joy installs larger-than-life, hanging soft sculptures in Knockdown’s gallery space. Inspired by kids’ bop bags, these “characters” are constructed from vibrantly colored fabrics and incorporate textile designs. For the opening event, the dance troupe Accidental Movement performs in an around the installation wearing full-body, original creations by Joy. Reflecting the shape of the sculptures, these performers move in an alien dance between the static and dynamic elements of the piece. Performance Comittee: Joe Ahearn, Jordan Michael Iannucci, Hisham Akira Bharoocha

Anxious Spaces: Installation as Catalyst

A group exhibition in which six installation artists engage a space beckoning with desire and opportunity. Knockdown Center's cathedral-like complex, with its breathtaking expanse, mysterious sub-chambers, surprise annexes, and hidden pockets, is a dream environment for site-specific and installation art. In addition, these works incorporate dynamic and time-based elements ranging from robotic interactivity to performance events to social intervention. Taken together, the architecture and the artworks transform the space into a surreal bazaar of curiosities for the adventurous. Opening June 15th, from 2-6pm. Special artist talk/tour at 5pm. The exhibition is open every Saturday and Sunday, from June 15 to July 6, 2-6pm. Click HERE to find out about the July 5th Performance Festival!

Cross-Cuts Opening Reception

Join Clocktower for the opening of Cross-Cuts, an exhibition presented at Knockdown Center on Sunday, May 11th, 2014, from 2-6pm. Preview 2-6pm on Saturday, May 10th. Special transport for both days: shuttle from the Jefferson stop on the L train. Free and open to the public. Joel Shapiro and Richard Nonas are two sculptors who emerged during the early 1970s in New York City, as pioneers of non-traditional sculptural installation. Both artists are now internationally recognized, with work in private and public collections. They have made significant contributions to our understanding of space, scale, and structure, and Clocktower Productions is proud to have them on view in the magnificent Knockdown Center space.

Christian Joy

Christian Joy is an American costume designer and artist best known for her stage costume designs for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer, Karen O. Often abandoning the traditional materials of thread and print, Joy’s pieces incorporate glue, marker pens, and found items, making her work influential in the punk and DIY style scene. She began her styling career without any formal training in fashion design, creating one-of-a-kind hand-painted/hand-sewn t-shirts and re-designing old prom dresses. Joy’s work has been exhibited at Space 15 Twenty, Los Angeles (2009), Audio Visual Arts, New York (2009), and Secret Project Robot, Brooklyn (2013). For Anxious Spaces: Installation as Catalyst, DIY guru Christian Joy presented Bok Joy, an installation and collaborative performance. Joy installed larger-than-life hanging soft sculptures, that greeted visitors to Knockdown’s gallery space. Inspired by children’s bop bags and the work of Japanese film director Hayoa Miyazaki, these “characters” were constructed from vibrantly colored fabrics and incorporate textile designs, drawing on Joy’s experience as a costume designer. Joy's focus was on the independent movement of fabric. For the performance festival, Joy’s installation was animated by musician Bubbles and the dance troupe Accidental Movement.

Desi Santiago

Desi Santiago is a Puerto Rican visual and performance artist based in New York City. Santiago’s work is inspired by the relationship between the subculture of the New York City nightlife scene and the fashion and fine arts worlds. His performance pieces similarly reflect this aesthetic theme, in their focus on the dual ritual of mourning and celebration. His large-scale installations often serve as a theatrical platform for his exploration of the body as “host” for experience and identity. Santiago received an MFA from Bard College. His work has been exhibited at the Matthew Marks Gallery, MoMA PS1, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museé des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, and Art Basel Miami Beach. For Anxious Spaces: Installation as Catalyst, nightlife subculture explorer Desi Santiago presented Mummy Procession, an installation and performance. Santiago created a massive fallen idol, an all-white mummy with mirror eyes and flowing hair. The decapitated head lay in Knockdown's great hall until the time of its grand procession came, at which point the ceremonial parade through the property began, costumed attendants following the ghostly head float in its wake.

Ben Wolf

Ben Wolf is an installation-driven, large-scale site-specific sculptor. His work incorporates rotten boards, rusted stair wells, peeling paint and other objects of decadent abandonment. Combining the techniques of carpentry, welding, and casting, and a process of adding, stacking, and layering, he simultaneously embraces and arranges the chaos of his materials. Wolf has exhibited his work at the Rabid Hands Collective (Detroit), Secret Project Robot (New York), and MU Eindhoven (Holland).

Hisham Bharoocha

Hisham Bharoocha is a Brooklyn-based artist, focused on visual art, photography and music. Bharoocha’s visual work seeks to materialize the images generated by the mind while meditating or dreaming. These creations illustrate the absurd confluence of the logic of our mundane lives and the parallel logic of the unconscious mind. Hisham founded the bands Lightning Bolt and Black Dice, and his current solo project is called Soft Circle. Bharoocha has had solo exhibitions at D’Amelio Terras Gallery (New York) and presented work at the Vleeshal (Netherlands). See video below for Hisham Bharoocha in performance with IIII, a roving, concept-driven musical project involving anywhere from 4 to 40 international and local drummers. In this performance, the group appeared at Union Pool in Brooklyn, NY.

IIII on 090411 at Union Pool from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

Ranjit Bhatnagar

Ranjit Bhatnagar is a sound sculptor who works with technology, language, and found materials to create interactive installations and musical instruments. Bhatnagar’s projects include his ongoing Instrument-A-Day series, in which he creates a new homemade musical instrument every day throughout one month of the year. His works have been exhibited at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, Flux Factory in Queens, the Pratt Institute in New York, and the Mermaid Show at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn. Bhatnagar taught “Mister Resistor” at Parsons School of Design, a studio course and rock band with homemade instruments.

Raul de Nieves

Raul de Nieves is a large-scale figurative sculptor, narrative painter, ornamental shoe and garment designer, multimedia performance artist, and musician. De Nieves’ sculptural shoes and installations are predominantly comprised of colorful, intricate beadwork and respectively act as prop and stage for his lavish performances. His work marries a fairytale aesthetic with subversive tones of rebellion, resulting in an experience of unearthly decadence. De Nieves’ performances have been exhibited at The Whitney Museum, MoMA PS1, MoMA San Francisco, and Performa. For Anxious Spaces: Installation as Catalyst, Raul de Nieves presented Celebration, an installation and performance. De Nieves created multicolored beaded and plaster sculptural works for the installation of Celebration. Winged children, representing the different stages of life, hung suspended in the air or gathered around the main alter piece where the bejeweled "Mother" sculpture rested. Awakening from his party tomb, howling spirits arose with de Nieves' unearthly incantations.

Anxious Spaces 2014: Bubbles

A live recording of the synth-pop duo Bubbles performing in DIY guru Christian Joy's Bok Joy installation for the Anxious Spaces: Performance Festival at Knockdown Center. Bubbles is comprised of Jason P. Grisell (vocals, electronics, live instruments) and Alain Levitt (beats, electronics). Their sound mixes ecstatic wordplay and vocals, inventive beatmaking, low-end frequencies, noise guitar, melodic bass guitar lines, and synth. Inspired by classic dance floor styles of downtown NYC circa the 1980s, among many other genres, the beats brought the festival crowd to their feet and grooving alongside the Bok Joy dancers.

Anxious Spaces VnessWolfCHild

VnessWolfCHild (Vanessa Cronan) croons to the audience in the Coliseum of Bliss Tint Token, a massive sculpture built by Ben Wolf as an homage to joy. Psychedelic, interactive songs like I Love My Body float into the hot summer air in this live set, staged for the Anxious Spaces: Performance Festival at Knockdown Center.

Anxious Spaces: Trabajo

Trabajo, the project of electronic sound artists Yuchen Lin and TJ Richards, features an an intermix of musical genres including gamelan, exotica, folk, and noise. In this recording, the artists play live in the Coliseum of Bliss Tint Token installation by Ben Wolf; their performance is a part of the Anxious Spaces Performance Festival at Knockdown Center.

Anxious Spaces: Desi Santiago, Mummy Procession

A recording from within Desi Santiago's massive Mummy sculpture as it serpentined through Knockdown Center, on the occasion of the Anxious Spaces Performance Festival. Costumed attendants followed the ghostly head float in its wake.

Anxious Spaces 2014: Dutch E Germ

Electronic remix artist Tim Dewit (aka Dutch E Germ) brings the beats in his performance with the Zero to 0 drum circle installation by Hisham Bharoocha and Ranjit Bhatnagar. Dewit grew up in the DC punk scene, and continues to be a key figure in underground music . His sound combines an exotic sense of percussive rhythm and dark melody, heard here in this live recording of his set at the Anxious Spaces Performance Festival at Knockdown Center.

Anxious Spaces: Tyondai Braxton

In this live recording from the Anxious Spaces Performance Festival at Knockdown Center, experimental, multi-instrumental musician Tyondai Braxton performs a piece designed to play in tandem with the drum circle installation Zero to 0 by Hisham Bharoocha and Ranjit Bhatnagar. Braxton's music focuses on "orchestrated loops," a real-time overlaying of guitar, voice, and found objects designed to simulate an ensemble. He was formerly the guitarist, keyboardist and singer of the experimental rock group Battles.

Anxious Space: Mick Barr

The avant-garde metal guitarist and composer Mick Barr stepped into the drum circle installation Zero to 0 by Hisham Bharoocha and Ranjit Bhatnagar for the Anxious Spaces Performance Festival at Knockdown Center. Barr shreds and the drums join in, for this an electrifying half hour set.

Anxious Spaces: Ryan Power

A live performance from the infinitely complex mind of the Vermont songwriter/producer, Ryan Power, staged in the Coliseum of Bliss Tint Token installation by Ben Wolf and recorded during the Anxious Spaces Performance Festival at Knockdown Center.

Anxious Spaces: Raul de Nieves

Raul de Nieves awakens from his party tomb in this recording of the magical and mystifying artist performing live in his own installation Celebration for the Anxious Spaces Performance Festival at Knockdown center. Howling spirits arise with de Nieves' unearthly incantations.

Anxious Spaces 2014: Brian Chase

The wonderfully talented and renowned drummer for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Brian Chase, composed a piece for Hisham Bharoocha and Ranjit Bhatnagar's drum circle installation, Zero to 0 and we recorded it. Live from our July 2014 Anxious Spaces Performance Festival at Knockdown Center, these hypnotically peaceful beats will lull you into a trance.

Anxious Spaces: Installation as Catalyst II

Clocktower presents the second annual group exhibition Anxious Spaces: Installation as Catalyst, featuring a selection of artists whose work incorporates dynamic and time-based elements, ranging from robotic interactivity to performance events to social intervention. Knockdown Center's cathedral-like complex, with its breathtaking expanse, mysterious sub-chambers, surprise annexes, and hidden pockets is a dream environment for site-specific and installation art. Taken together, the architecture and the artworks transform the space into a surreal bazaar of curiosities for the adventurous. Anxious Spaces exhibits and installations by Will Ryman, Molly Lowe, Tim Bruniges, Aurora Halal, Lucas Abela, Prince Rama, Audra Wolowiec, and Ben Mortimer are on view at Knockdown Center through July 26, 2015 Saturdays and Sundays, from 2 to 6pm. Or by appointment. More on the installations: