The Commerce Year
From September, 2014 through June, 2015, Proteus Gowanus invited artists and workers in other disciplines to think about COMMERCE using art, artifacts, books, film, workshops and discussion. The year’s four exhibitions focused on money (in the exhibition Currency), work (in the Labor show), the movement of goods through physical and cultural space (in Trade Routes) […]
Deep Down Fossil Water
In our research for the Water year, we came across something called “fossil water”. The phrase suggests a lost past: ancient swamplands with long-necked dinosaurs or water pterodactyl skimming the surface of polished lakes. These lakes and swamps went underground thousands, even millions of years ago. The water moved away from the surface of the […]
Beginning with Water
This year’s fall-to-summer year-long theme at Proteus Gowanus is Water, a substance which holds us in its grip, dictating where and how we live, exerting its osmotic pull through our bodies and filtering into our thoughts and dreams. As the planet grows hotter, it is the presence and absence of water that best marks the […]
Don’t Miss Secret Wars Artist Nene Humphrey’s Haunting Performance Piece
Wednesday, May 1, 7:30pm Location: Dixon Place, 161a Chrystie Street A video excerpt of Nene Humphrey’s ongoing project, Circling the Center, was on display during Proteus Gowanus’ recent Secret Wars exhibition. The video is a slow audio-visual dive into the center of the brain, the seat of our deepest emotion. What began as Nene’s private […]
The War Games Room is Open
As part of our War of Words exhibition, Proteus Gowanus has opened the War Games Room. Every Saturday or Sunday from 12-6, you can play war games with your friends and enemies in the back room at Proteus. You can play on a handmade Risk game, designed and painted by Ryan Jones with New York City […]
Closing Temporarily Due to Sandy Flooding
Proteus Gowanus and our Projects-In-Residence Observatory, Morbid Anatomy Library, Reanimation Library and Hall of Gowanus, prepared for the worst before Hurricane Sandy and we are very happy to announce that our preparations were unnecessary. We feel very grateful that our floors and books and artifacts and shelves were not bathed in toxic sludge. The floodwaters around the Gowanus area barely penetrated our […]
Are You Experienced?
Last week Proteus held a celebration and fundraiser called Nomad Mixer, in honor of our yearlong Migration theme. As always, our benefit was designed to deliver – along with delicious food and drink — actual experiences. This as opposed to, say, long speeches and nervous small talk. For example, upon entering our ‘gritty’ alleyway, guests […]
Multispecies Salon Talks Seek Hope in Blasted Landscapes
Sunday, May 6 was the second in a three part conversation led by Proteus Anthropologist-In-Residence Eben Kirksey, examining what happens when natural and cultural worlds intermingle and collide. Eben is hosting the Multispecies Salon at Proteus Gowanus this spring, a “paraethnographic field site” where anthropologists, biologists, ecoartists and bioartists come together. The Multispecies Salon is […]
Report on the Listening Tour
Luckily not as cold as yesterday morning, although still on the brisk side. Some excellent sounds in the Vale and Midwood. Good woodpecker vocalizations and tapping, both atypical bird noise. Highlight two Canada geese flying overhead and, as is their wont, honking, very loud compared to the often subtle sounds of song birds. A rooster […]
