I have friends who live on Freeman Street, and I’ve been there for all manner of reasons in the past, but last weekend was the first time I ever ventured there for an art-related event. The recently-opened arts and culture center Triple Canopy/Light Industry/Public School now occupies the new-looking building near the corner of Manhattan Avenue, and we raise our pint glasses in welcome to them.
The Per-Oskar Leu installation Crisis and Critique, presented by Triple Canopy, provides a space to reflect on these politically charged times. At Friday’s opening, participants reclined on white cushions inscribed with German-language words such as “not” and “your eye” (or “your ear”) in black type. On the screen we watched 30s and 40s German films edited around the theme of “the artist’s role in the political act”, according to Leu, while surrounded by a soundtrack he’d created of archival recordings and “audio-scuptural objects”. Draped leather hung from the ceiling by ropes and evoked a smell that could come from the leather coats worn in the films, or even Brecht’s leather jacket itself.
About showing at Triple Canopy, Leu says “To me, this is the most ideal place to show work. It’s a non-profit but still organized and professional like an established institution, and it still has an edge.”
Peter Russo, Editorial and Program Director for Triple Canopy, says “Triple Canopy is online magazine and arts organization. 155 Freeman is but one venue where we articulate the translation between projects, online, in print, and for live settings.”
You can contribute to Triple Canopy’s already highly successful Kickstarter campaign to cover lighting, construction, and “new (much more comfortable) seating for all screenings and performances.”
Read more about Per-Oskar Leu.