Steam Screens made its first appearance in the Sculpture Garden of the Whitney Museum in December 1979 as the fourth work in a series of collaborations between Stan VanDerBeek and Joan Brigham. In this live multiple projection work curtains of steam rise from a system of metal pipes, reconfigured today with assistance from Brigham for the current environment, as “screens" onto which a selection of Vanderbeek’s 16mm films, including primarily those featuring his computer generated imagery, are projected. Audience members are not only viewers, but active participants, displacing steam and intercepting light to become projection surfaces themselves.
"In the steam the film reaches the ultimate point of dematerialization. The audience is able, physically, to enter the image and the cloud and become wrapped in a wholly new experience." - Joan Brigham, 1979
The event will start at 7:30pm as the steam boiler reaches its full pressure and the screens rise. VanDerBeek's films will be projected by Bradley Eros, Josh Lewis, Simon Liu and Rachel Rosheger.
The may enter or exit at any time during the two hour performance, Shuttle service connecting the subway (Jefferson L train stop) to the Knockdown Center is provided. For more info, please visit http://knockdown.info
"Dreamlands: Expanded" is a series of expanded cinema events organized by Microscope Gallery in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art as part of the exhibition "Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905-2016"
Knockdown Center is a 50,000 sq.ft. art and events space dedicated to unusual projects and collaborations. Featuring programming of diverse formats and media, Knockdown Center aims to create a radically cross-disciplinary environment.
Lead Underwriting Support Provided by the Robert D. Bielecki Foundation. Generous Support provided by J.J. Kasper, Paul Jost, and Natasha Reatig. This presentation is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council of the Arts' Electronic Media & Film Presentation Funds grant program, administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes. Microscope Gallery Event Series is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC). Additional Support provided by Knockdown Center and Negativland. Sponsored by Colorlab and The Bodega. Official Media Partner: The Brooklyn Rail.