Project Description
FROM THE ARTIST:
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) and Van Alen Institute announce the unveiling of Breathing Pavilion, artist Ekene Ijeoma’s first outdoor installation in New York City. Presented with support from Two Trees Management Co, the immersive installation will be on view from March 16 to May11, 2021 at The Plaza at 300 Ashland, in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Cultural District.
Using both computational design and conceptual art strategies, Ijeoma reframes social issues to poetically uncover the truths and injustices and are obscured through various systems of oppression. Created in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racial injustice in the United States, Breathing Pavilion offers sanctuary at a time of intense hardship and loss, suggests a paradigm shift towards communion and meditative stillness, and creates an accessible space of reprieve when the act of breathing itself is under siege.
“Between the ongoing struggles in the racial and political movements in the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be difficult to find the time and space to breathe deeply and rest well,” said Ekene Ijeoma.“I held my breath for most of last year, waiting to exhale into a new administration and new vaccines. It will still take some time before we see large-scale change. Until then, in these next few weeks, this pavilion is here to invite the public to breathe into the change within each of us, in sync with one another.”
Breathing Pavilion comprises a 30-foot circle of 20 nine-foot two-tone illuminated inflatable columns that slowly modulate in brightness to illustrate a deep breathing technique designed to bring calm. Viewers are invited to breathe in time with the changing light and attune themselves to a shared rhythm of respite. Over its six-week installation period, Breathing Pavilion will host a series of site-specific events, including musical performances, starting with a solo trumpet piece by Grammy-winning musician Keyon Harrold on March 16 at 6pm. Known for his evocative,often-heartbreaking musical arrangements that paint a portrait of a deeply divided nation, Harrold’s piece will reflect the complex and contemplative nature of Ijeoma’s installation.
Other musicians in the series include Melanie Charles on flute, Joel Rosson vibraphone, and Baba Don Babatunde of the LastPoets – the full lineup is here.
“As we head into spring, outdoor public spaces remain at the core of our shared experience and Breathing Pavilion will serve as artwork with intention that can bring us together at a time when we must remain physically distanced,” said Regina Myer, President of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.“This innovative installation stands out as an entirely unique public art project that offers a much-needed moment for reflection after a challenging year. We look forward to sharing this thoughtful new public art project with our community.”
Breathing Pavilion is part of Van Alen Institute’s Public Realm R&D program, intended to surface the work of emerging designers and test new strategies to bring people together in public space. After 125 years in Manhattan, Van Alen relocated to Brooklyn in 2020, and this is the organization’s first public realm installation in the borough.
“Last year permanently changed our relationship to public space,”said Deborah Marton, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute. “To create equitable cities, Van Alen Institute works to center communities in designing shared spaces. Ekene Ijeoma's installation Breathing Pavilion is a profound and beautiful example of how public space can help heal us, safely and together. Breathing Pavilion is an inspiration for the kind of city we want for our future.”
“We are thrilled to have worked with DBP and Van Alento bring Ekene Ijeoma’s Breathing Pavilion to the Plaza at 300 Ashland. A graceful and forceful response to our current moment, Ijeoma’s work provides respite and resolve, and spotlights the revolutionary potential of radical rest,” said Kate Gavriel, Cultural Affairs Director of Two Trees Management Co. “Two Trees has a proven commitment to the arts in Brooklyn, and we are excited to continue giving artists a platform to create.”
The Plaza at 300 Ashland has served as a hub for the arts since its unveiling in 2017, even amid the pandemic. Most recently, it hosted DBP’s Rehearsal Residency Initiative, where arts and culture organizations and individuals used the space for outdoor rehearsals, and in October 2020 hosted the third installment of the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival.Managed, programmed, and maintained by DBP, the plaza also features a year-round calendar of programming including film screenings, concerts,theater performances, dance and fitness classes, readings,community gatherings, and more – all free and open to the public.