We Know Not Exactly Where or How
curated by Elizabeth Spavento
We Know Not Exactly Where or How | Schedule | Installation View | Images | Kickstarter
August 24 – October 5, 2013
Open hour: daily: 10am-dusk
“When an artist puts a stick in the ground and nature in time makes it a tree, art and nature are not to be seen apart in the result.” –Frederick Law Olmsted
We Know Not Exactly Where or How is a community-based art initiative inspired by Frederick Law Olmsted, the forefather of American landscape architecture, and participatory artistic practice. Its goal is to present the park as a site for serving the public and private needs of the people. Using Olmsted’s philosophy as a starting point—a strong belief in the unconscious effects of nature on the whole human—this exhibition will convert Open Source Gallery into a living public park and its exterior into an outdoor stage for all kinds of events.
The title of the exhibition is taken from Olmsted, who upon visiting the Isle of Wight during his first trip to England in 1850 remarked, “Gradually and silently the charm comes over us; we know not exactly where or how.” With that in mind, this exhibition aims to silently charm its visitors by offering a dialectical view of the landscape and, in some cases, land use. That is to say, We Know Not will encourage its audience to view the installation not as an isolated object within a gallery but as a process of ongoing relationships that exist within physical space. Parks present their users an opportunity to view themselves within a complex ecosystem. Within that framework, the nexus of relationships humans have with their environment emerges. Inviting creativity, contemplation, contradiction, and celebration We Know Not Exactly Where or How aims to explore those ineffable relationships across many disciplines.
From August 24 through October 5, 2013 the exhibition will present a full schedule of free, public events that draw upon local artistic talent, create community around common spaces, and illuminate participants’ relationship to nature. In keeping with Olmsted’s practice, the gallery, in partnership with Greenwood Heights CSA, will host public picnics throughout the exhibition. Artist Molly Dilworth will paint a mural based on rum trade routes established during prohibition in the Gowanus neighborhood on the gallery doors. Playwright Anne Phelan will premiere a brand new play based on the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted. Performance artist Athena Kokoronis and sculptor Jan Mun will co-lead a performance workshop based on mushrooms. And, the Exact Change Project will perform live, blending hip-hop and jazz in an epic concert. Between events, park visitors are invited to use both the interior and exterior installations as they would any green space: playing games or simply reading a book in the sunshine.
