Blip

About this episode

Day 1 of the journey:“The Continuum”Thoughts on “Orensanz 2008: The Far Reaches of Space”.By Greggory Bradford Spotted at the corner of Houston and Broadway and seen in the Dars Hammerkjold Plaza, it was even said to have been circumnavigating the Guggenheim and docked outside the Armory Show. Seeking out destinations of various locations around Manhattan, one could see the gates of the art world from the Steppes of Mars. This was an opportunity welcoming the public to experience Nasa’s Lab and witness the Burning Universe. Our silver shuttle bounced around the island over the last weekend in March. The trek led a small team on a reconnaissance detail; an itinerary of locales to make the Angel Orensanz experience available to everyone. A playful re-creation of interventions was our point of departure, an exhibition in line with his works. It was to be an extension of his practice as explained by Jan Van Woensel and Greggory Bradford. Relying on the re-presentation of installations about space, time and memory, we chose artist films that surpass the original installations and supporting documentary footage for those narratives of Angel’s vision for these installations. This allowed us to explore and witness his playful act of performing/creating his imaginary landscapes. The childlike manner of this playful imagination are like those performances of dada ‘happenings’. The impromptu performances explore the making of the installation while offering insight to the artist’s creative process. These science fiction pieces become working scripts that produce an installation. The satellite, our silver vessel, ‘landed’ at many of the art world’s largest ‘ports’. The Armory Show (major), the sun of this weekend in particular, was the dominant star in the astrological map that is the New York artworld. Tourist, locals, collectors and the ‘Who’s Who’ of the international scene were taking part in the spectacle of fairs that was going on simultaneously, such as Volta (minor), Pulse, Scope, and the Whitney Biennale. Orensanz 2008 extended the experience, a reality transformed by the artist, beckoning the passers-by to board and enjoy the moment. It was an opportunity to share in the performances of Crystal Curtis’ King In Between*, a digital dialogue and spoken word, debuted for this event alongside the aluminium foil truck of kites, photo documentations, projections and publications of Angel. Attendees crossed the threshold of our craft to sit and witness the artist’s works, boarding a comfortable space that was an installation itself. An alien to its surroundings, the mobile exhibition extended Angel Orensanz’s 21st century voyage of non-traditional presentation leaving behind only traces before departing from this atmosphere. (* words, dirt, sequins, 4:00 minute performance, 2008)

• Release Date

  Mar 28, 2008

• Runtime

  04:43