TBy Kevin Duggan wo-four-six-eight! It’s work
we should appreciate!
A new sculpture series
will expose the darker side of cheerleading,
as part of the group exhibition
“Serious Play,” opening at Bric
on June 27. Sunset Park sculptor
Kat Chamberlin said that the women
who dance along the sidelines at
sports games are athletes who are
routinely dismissed because of their
rah-rah feminine style.
“It’s had this history of objectifying
women’s bodies and we’ve infantilized
these girls,” said Chamberlin.
“There’s this idea that a woman
shouldn’t be expressing her sexuality
or she comes off as not serious.”
Chamberlin started by interviewing
cheerleaders at the Staten Island
college where she teaches. She found
that the women are often criticized
for wearing hyper-feminine uniforms
and styles, but that they nevertheless
follow their passion.
“We talked a lot about the representation
of them in the media and
they said, ‘We know people think
we’re slutty,’ but they shrugged their
shoulders and said, ‘I enjoy that I
do this very difficult sport,’ ” the
artist said.
Chamberlin crafted her sculptures
based on some of the cheerers’s most
daring balancing acts, including
“Handstand I,” “Handstand II,” and
“High V,” in which one cheerleader
raises her arms. Many of her pieces
evoke imaginary exercise equipment
that might be used by cheerleaders to
practice their moves.
She also created a series of glass
and plexiglass objects called “Anti-
Fragile,” which hint at the ruthless
damage the women experience
while creating their polished performances.
“Many of the girls injure themselves
regularly; they do extremely
difficult tricks in the air,” Chamberlin
said. “The sculptures have this cold
and also violent form to them.”
Her figures are part of the Bric
exhibition “Serious Play: Translating
Form, Subverting Meaning” which
showcases sculptures that illustrate
the playfulness at the center of art.
It also includes fellow Kings County
creators Chris Bogia, Damien Davis,
Amanda Valdez, Julien Gardair, and
Ronny Quevedo.
Cheerleading is a form of play,
but because of its demanding formations,
COURIER L 70 IFE, JUNE 21-27, 2019 24-7
it is also very serious, according
to Chamberlin.
“Play often involves a group a
community, you’re trying to recreate
something together but it’s serious,
not playful,” she said.
The cheerleaders she worked with
will present a one-time performance
in the exhibition space on Aug. 1
at 7 p.m. — but without smiling,
which creates a weird atmosphere,
said Chamberlin.
“It’s odd and uncanny.
Something’s off, it feels a little more
threatening,” she said.
“Serious Play: Translating Form,
Subverting Meaning” at Bric 647
Fulton St. at Rockwell Place in Fort
Greene. www.bricartsmedia.org,
(718) 855–7882. Opening reception
June 27; 7–9 p.m. On view though
Aug. 18. Free.
By Susan De Vries Summer officially starts this weekend and Myrtle
Avenue Brooklyn Partnership is celebrating with a
free party in the plaza.
Head to the Myrtle Avenue Plaza, located between
Steuben Street and Emerson Place, for a night of music,
dance and art on Friday, June 21. The Benny Lopez
Latin Jazz Band will bring its sound to the solstice
evening and instructors will be on hand to get the salsa
dancing moving.
You’ll also be able to watch art in progress as the
group Art for After Hours creates an on-site installation
celebrating the immigrant heritage of the community
during the party. There will be free snacks and drinks
and outdoor games to play as well.
While the event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. it is just one of
many free programs taking place over the summer.
Fitness classes, lunchtime concerts, and art workshops
for children are just a few of the offerings during
the 2019 Myrtle Avenue Plaza Summer Series. For
the full schedule of events check out the calendar at
myrtleavenue.org/summer .
Around
the block
WBy Aidan Graham elcome to the
Neighborhood!
A new documentary
short film explores
the development of a
Brooklyn neighborhood
through the lens of three
strangers. “Neighborhood,”
premiering on June 22 as
part of a block of docs at
the Brooklyn Academy of
Music’s film festival, follows
the lives of a pigeon keeper,
a webcam performer, and a
man who believes in ghosts
to comment on the true star
of the film — Bushwick,
according to its director.
“The initial inception of
the film was walking around
the neighborhood, and noticing
what was once empty
lots are now luxury condos,”
said Ben Garchar. “I wanted
to explore those questions of
change, and development,
and impermanence.”
Garchar — who moved
to Bushwick from Ohio in
2009 — hopes that documenting
the rapidly developing
Brooklyn will inspire
viewers to re-examine the
changing landscape around
them.
“I hope it will make people
think about what they
can do —I don’t mean from
an activist perspective, but
about the small decisions
people make,” he said. “Am
I engaging with people in
the neighborhood? Learning
about these people and their
experiences, and finding
some common ground?”
Garchar sought out people
in his adopted neighborhood,
and wants his 15-minute film
to explore how long-time residents
can continue to live in
the newly gentrified borough
— such as Gabino Quinones,
who swears by the omnipresence
of inexplicable spirits.
“He’s a secretive mysterious
dude, which comes
across on screen,” said
Garchar. “But once we met
him, he was very open and
hospitable, and I felt a connection
with him. He’s very
philosophical and metaphorical.”
Quinones and those like
him are being priced out of
the neighborhood, and the
changing demographics
leads to a changing culture,
said Grachar.
“I have mixed feelings,”
he said. “On the one hand,
most people would be happy
that there’s not as much crime.
But on the flip side, you have
these new developments, and
bars, and restaurants that are
clearly being marketed only
to people on the higher end of
the economic spectrum.”
The director has no
answers, but hopes that his
flick will inspire more questions.
“Is this the best way we
can go about this? What are
we doing well, and where
can we improve?” he asked.
“It’s about fostering that conversation.”
“Neighborhood” premieres
at BAMcinemaFest
30 Lafayette Ave. between
St. Felix Street and Ashland
Place in Fort Greene, (718)
724–8023, www.bam.org.
June 22 at 2 p.m. $20.
A CHEER THING
Sculptor displays fake cheerleading gear
Bushwick doc covers
nabe’s changing scene
Athletic art: Sunset Parker Kat Chamberlin’s gym equipment-like sculptures show the
serious and dangerous sides of cheerleading. Photo by Caroline Ourso
Cooped up: Lifelong Brooklynite Armando “Pucho” Pineiro keeps
pigeons on the roof of his Bushwick home, as documented in the film
“Neighborhood.” Ben Garchar
Kick off your summer with
music in Myrtle Avenue Plaza
Street music: This year’s Myrtle Avenue Summer Series returns
with a packed lineup, kicking off on June 21.
Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership
/www.bricartsmedia.org
/www.bam.org
/www.bricartsmedia.org
/summer
/www.bam.org