2 o'clock Sunday, August 21
Northwest corner of Houston & the Bowery, NYC
22 minutes
Dancers left to right: Anna Brown Massey, Kaley Pruitt, Jessie Feller, Jackie Moynahan, Karesia Batan
During our planning session on site a local gentleman shared that our mural wall originally served as a handball court where he played before the city widened Houston Street. His story added yet another layer to our performance at this iconic site in New York City's street art scene that photographer JR had transformed into a Lakota's image. We interacted with the mural as a handball court, a sheer wall, and a man's face. Addressing the humanity of the photo mural, we created a tonal relationship with it/him and each other. Dancing on another literal plane, the rocky landscaped grey gravel further inspired us. In preparation for ZOOM we painted colorful rocks of our own to add to the greys of the rocks below and the image above. We planted these rocks beneath the lone tree, amid the gravel, and in the hands of our spontaneous audience.
All photos by Nimi Kadar
TED prize winning photographer JR created a new mural on the Bowery's iconic New York corner as part of his “Inside Out” project focused on the Dakota Native Americans. The project's press release explains:
Northwest corner of Houston & the Bowery, NYC
22 minutes
One Lakota, one tree, five New York City dancers, and a few extraordinary rocks.
Dancers left to right: Anna Brown Massey, Kaley Pruitt, Jessie Feller, Jackie Moynahan, Karesia Batan
During our planning session on site a local gentleman shared that our mural wall originally served as a handball court where he played before the city widened Houston Street. His story added yet another layer to our performance at this iconic site in New York City's street art scene that photographer JR had transformed into a Lakota's image. We interacted with the mural as a handball court, a sheer wall, and a man's face. Addressing the humanity of the photo mural, we created a tonal relationship with it/him and each other. Dancing on another literal plane, the rocky landscaped grey gravel further inspired us. In preparation for ZOOM we painted colorful rocks of our own to add to the greys of the rocks below and the image above. We planted these rocks beneath the lone tree, amid the gravel, and in the hands of our spontaneous audience.
TED prize winning photographer JR created a new mural on the Bowery's iconic New York corner as part of his “Inside Out” project focused on the Dakota Native Americans. The project's press release explains:
"The Inside Out Group Action: "Lakota, North Dakota" will highlight the Standing Rock and Pineridge Native Reservations — some of the most important Native American reservations whose impoverished and forgotten communities have suffered unspeakable hardships. The Lakota, Dakota Nation group action is to show that the people in this community are still struggling to hold onto their native way of life."
