Hard/Soft

Filed under Ongoing Event, Installation, projects

Artist: Heather L. Johnson

An emotional response to an expressway overpass in Brooklyn and the tenacity of the neighborhood surrounding it.

hard/soft is an emotional response to the hard? nature of a particular concrete overpass in Brooklyn, NY, in contrast to the fluctuating, vibrant character of the neighborhood surrounding it. It is a response based on my own fleeting observations as an outsider, a reflection of the inspiration I felt upon encountering this site. I am fascinated with the evidence that, despite any damage the overpass may have inflicted on the neighborhood during its initial construction, life appears to be thriving on the streets underneath and all around it.

This site-specific installation will consist of text stenciled in chalk that will almost entirely cover the supporting wall beneath the overpass leading to the Williamsburg Bridge, where Havemeyer St., Borinquen Pl. and S 3rd St. intersect. The text will be taken from conversations overheard on streets and in local businesses and institutions within 2 blocks surrounding the overpass. Stenciled in the most standardized, commonly-used font I can think of (Times New Roman), the text will be chalked in varying shades of gray and other muted colors found in the stained concrete of the overpass itself.

Chalk is malleable and easy to work with, and therefore subject to change, as do the thoughts and ideas represented in the voices recorded on the wall. After the installation is completed, its inevitable transformation will be documented through a series of photographs to be presented on the project web site (tba) and eventually knitted together into a video.

tba