Fluid Histories, Neighborhood Practices: Rehearsing a Changing Waterfront
a gathering around movement, science and the environment in New York City
April 17 2015 | 6pm – 8 pm
The South Street Seaport Museum: Melville Gallery | 213 Water Street New York NY
Panel & Discussion | Reception to follow
This panel will bring three distinctive perspectives to bear on the environmental and cultural legacies of the neighborhoods along the East River waterfront. Translation available into Chinese dialects.
Eric Sanderson will speak about his work reconstructing the ecology of the East River including Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.
Susan Cheng will speak of the relationship of various Chinese Opera forms as they developed in relation to waterways and migration from China to NYC’s Chinatown
William Kornblum sails a converted 1916 fishing boat throughout the waters of NYC. He will speak from his experiences and knowledge of the East River and its surrounding waterfront communities.
The panel will be moderated by iLAND founder Jennifer Monson and will be followed by an open discussion with the public with representatives from each iLAB residency (arts educator Lu Yu, interdisciplinary artist Clarinda Mac Low, and public artist Kathy Creutzberg).
Admission is $5-$25, sliding scale.
Panelist Biographies
Susan Cheng has maintained a life-long devotion to the promotion and development of Chinese music in the United States, founding Music From China in 1984 and serving as Executive Director. In addition to performing on yangqin (hammered dulcimer) and ruan (guitar), Ms. Cheng is an instructor, lecturer and workshop leader in programs for youngsters and adults.
William Kornblum is a professor of sociology at the Graduate Center, CUNY. He is a specialist in urban sociology and human ecology and the author of numerous scholarly books and articles on the people of New York.
Eric W. Sanderson is a Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society. He is the director of The Mannahatta and Welikia Projects, studies of the historical ecology of New York City, and co-creator of visionmaker.nyc, a platform for developing and sharing visions of the city’s future.
Discussant Biographies
Lu Yu is a teaching artist, director, choreographer as well as dancer, singer and actor in both Chinese and western theaters.
Clarinda Mac Low is an interdisciplinary artist and organizer working in many mediums, including collaboration on projects like this ILAND work. As part of her practice, she runs Culture Push, an arts organization dedicated to cross-sector exchange and nurturing good ideas.
Kathy Creutzburg is a public artist who has used the landscape to inspire her sculpture and mixed media installations at the Figment summer-long sculpture garden on Governors Island, Kenkeleba House sculpture garden, Abrons Art Center, Michael Mut Project Space, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Her recent restoration of public artworks originally created by herself and other artists at PS61M showcases her abilities as a designer, fabricator, and facilitator.
The 2015 iLAND Symposium is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
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