Project for Empty Space: A Public Art Installation is a project conceived by Jasmine Wahi and Meenakshi Thirukode with the aim to bring contemporary art out of traditionally “high-brow” neighborhoods to the everyday people of New York. For this project, the two curators chose local artist Tehniyet Masood to develop a work for the space they found at 137 Attorney Street, New York. The idea to present contemporary art in vacant stores is nothing new. But the artist had to face one major challenge: The space was not an empty store, but just a gap in a row of houses.
In the above video, artist Tehniyet Masood and the two curators Jasmine Wahi and Meenakshi Thirukode talk about the concept behind the project, the challenges they faced and the reactions of the residents in the neighborhood and passers-by. (Excerpt, full-length version after the jump).
Tehniyet Masood began working on her mixed media installation on September 1, 2010 and finished it on September 17, 2010. Every day she added to the sculpture made out of reclaimed wood from different parts of New York City. Masood, who was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, studied Painting and Sculpture at Bennington College and the School of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Project for Empty Space: Tehniyet Masood / New York. September 15, 2010.
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.
Full-length version: