PLANO B CROSSING THE U.S. TRYING TO BUILD AN ALTERNATIVE IDEA OF PROGRESS… WOULD YOU GIVE US A HAND?
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE IDEA BEHIND THE PROJECT IN THE SIAMESE BLOG SONGLINE-THE IDEA

March 22, 2009

NEW YORK

word: ABSENCE
partners: Carla Leitão /
date: 25th to 28th of April 2009

concept:
To use light and/or shadows to produce the word Absence. The word seemed appropriate for New York as it so strongly relates to 9/11 and the following void left by it.

conceptual image:


Please go HERE for a brief explanation of the SONGLINE.

DIARY ON THIS LOCATION:


"This image was taken right next to the subway at ground zero. Strange office and security guard underneath a giant Holtzer like text screen. Very, very bizarre text. I think it's the headquarters of the LEEDS organization. NYC is still very sensitive. I was dragging a bucket of dirt and people wanted to know what it was. I was told not to talk about 911." J Harford

We just got a preview of the word ABSENCE from James Harford. It's a natural graffiti. Planted grass seed. Tear Drop Park. NYC. Adobe and seeds. West St. between Warren and Murray.

"The point is to travel. Fulfill the mandate of the song. Simply." J Harford



Posted by at

12 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 25, 2009 at 7:07 PM

    O.K. here's the first reply from NYC, You may want to look into this group:

    http://canopycanopycanopy.com/programs

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 25, 2009 at 7:10 PM

    Also: Oudi has a motorcycle, can go anywhere. He said he'd be interested in showing up at least, maybe with camera. I asked him how many artists he can fit on his bike, he said as many as it takes. Try to get him to get you a gig at the Art Students League. That would be a riot.

    http://oudiart.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eduardo CarvalhoMarch 26, 2009 at 1:19 AM

    How many artists can fit in one bike :))) ? That's a great question. We'll email him asap... Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMarch 26, 2009 at 6:27 PM

    You may want to employ an artistic tradition that peeked in the 80s in manhattan. Instead of the grandiose beam of "absence" event you may want to start making a few "light boxes" run by a small solar cell, battery and LED that illuminates the word at night. Hang them from trees in public parks. Central, 9th and C. Houston and 2nd, Teardrop. Washington Sq. Bryant. Oudi could get you to all of these in one evening. And no one knows Manhattan the way he does. Problem: you'll need to strap a step ladder to your back along with the panels to place them just out of reach for the pedestrian. It's kind of like a blog post: if it survives long enough eventually people will come across it and soon many will be wondering "what's missing?"

    ReplyDelete
  5. Eduardo CarvalhoMarch 27, 2009 at 3:47 PM

    Should we contact these guys?:

    http://graffitiresearchlab.com/?page_id=14

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMarch 28, 2009 at 10:42 AM

    outrageous. Where did you find this? (uhm....duh!) This is great. Totally sidetracked me. The whole site. Yes. Contact them. Maybe you could do something grandiose if you get the H$ng K$ng gang to arrive in their SUVs. Thank you for this. But then again... you could just act on your own. And post what you do to their website. oh gosh no! They give you the "natural" solution right there. why waste time contacting anyone and why pollute with dreaded batteries? http://antiadvertisingagency.com/wp-content/video/lightcriticism.mov and oudi and his bike will be all you need. Just don't kid yourself. no one is reinventing the wheel here. And shucks..they already did this in NYC. Kid yourself? geez this site is making me feel my age and my remoteness...this is insane. You will come up with the right thing to do, the right place. The bushes in Teardrop park would be a beautiful place to leave something in light...

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownMarch 28, 2009 at 10:55 AM

    these guy have it down!

    http://graffitiresearchlab.com/?page_id=29#video

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownMarch 28, 2009 at 11:02 AM

    Peaked in the 80s. Where have I been? You basically killed my idea...it's been done. Makes me think there is already too much light in NYC. The training bombing in Rotterdam scares me.

    http://graffitiresearchlab.com/?page_id=46#video

    Maybe leave the words in natural materials in the places I mentioned. Little adobe things like what Alexis did on the Hudson. http://www.alexiselton.com/site/site4.htm

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownMarch 29, 2009 at 5:28 PM

    I am now more convinced than ever. Drop the light show. Use Alexis's work as a guide. I can direct you to a few places for this technique

    There is a place on the hudson near ground zero that would be perfect for this kind of "drawing" of absence
    http://alexiselton.com/drawings/drawings2.htm

    I know of a fence that would get you higher visibilty than a highbeam on the Verizon building if you employed this technique:

    http://alexiselton.com/installations/installations2.htm

    I think the militaristic maloprismatic graffiti group would enjoy getting videos of "naturalist" graffiti techniques to their portfolio. And could use a little less combative commando approach. I'm hoping we (the world) can put to sleep war poses now.

    Lasers and LEDs are passé in my mind. And that technology would divert the intention of work.

    Just because it makes for a good graphic, doesn't mean you have realize it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Eduardo CarvalhoMarch 30, 2009 at 5:47 PM

    You are right, maybe we should use low-tech means in NY. Mud from the Hudson?...

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownMarch 30, 2009 at 5:51 PM

    all you would have to do is go to the hudson river park, carve the word. fill with water from the fountain.

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownMarch 30, 2009 at 5:52 PM

    And you get crews to do piece here and there, long after you are gone.

    ReplyDelete

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