Artist Kim Beck wants viewers to take photos of her live skywriting event this weekend and send her the photos (courtesy Kim Beck)
The High Line near 14th St.
Sunday, October 9, free, 4:00 – 7:00
www.thehighline.org
www.idealcities.com
space available slideshow
This past spring, Pittsburgh-based artist Kim Beck installed “Space Available” on Washington St. rooftops, consisting of three naked billboards that can be seen from the High Line. Commenting on the current state of America’s economy, the works appear three-dimensional but are actually flat. “Space Available” worked extremely well when the Trisha Brown Dance Company performed “Roof Piece” on and around the High Line, and now it should fit in even better with Beck’s latest project, “The Sky Is the Limit/NYC.” For the live event, being held October 9 from 4:00 to 7:00, Beck will have a skywriting plane write such advertising messages as “All Sales Final,” “Last Chance,” “Now Open,” and “Everything Must Go,” which will fill the air before fading away. “In The Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West writes ‘Surrender Dorothy’ in the sky,” Beck explained in a statement. “‘The Sky Is the Limit/NYC’ echoes this vague threat, in this case of a double-dip recession, while using the media of smoke to create a drawing in the sky.” Beck also is interested in documenting the social gathering itself that will take place on the High Line and down below. “When, in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, a crowd gathers to piece together skywriting, the spectacle unites disparate groups, as they cluster together to find meaning in the urban landscape. I am looking for folks to become a part of it by taking pictures.” Beck is encouraging viewers to take photos of the messages and post them online; she has even given shutterbugs tips on how to frame their pictures and also by identifying excellent viewing spots, which include the High Line, the Hudson River Greenway and Battery Park in Manhattan, East River Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, and Hoboken, Pier C, Maxwell Place Park, and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. In addition, Beck’s “Under Development” solo exhibition will run October 13 to November 12 at Mixed Greens, furthering her exploration of art, architecture, and commerce.