Giant photo event takes over Dumbo
By Rose Adams It is a monumental event!
A sprawling annual photo
festival will descend on Dumbo
starting on Sept. 12, setting up more
than 85 photo exhibits in a plaza
beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.
Photoville, now in its eighth year,
will showcase the work of more than
600 photographers, with their work
displayed inside shipping containers
moved in for the occasion, on freestanding
cubes, inside nearby theater
St. Ann’s Warehouse, and — in one
case — on a series of shining, nearly
invisible obelisks just outside the
festival space.
“Absent Monuments,” which will
set up in Brooklyn Bridge Park on
the north side of the Bridge, will
feature four mirrored sculptures that
pay tribute to Brooklyn’s waterfront
history while literally reflecting its
present. Each marks a historic event
that has been largely forgotten, said
the artist behind the project.
“I started to realize all these hidden
stories under the landscape,”
said Rose DeSiano.
She began the project after
becoming fascinated by the historic
architecture of Randall’s island. An
abandoned mental health facility and
an old sporting ground on the island
made her think about the city’s past,
and she erected some historical monuments
there three years ago.
For her Photoville exhibit,
DeSiano researched and built four
COURIER L 44 IFE, SEPT. 6-12, 2019
new obelisks, each dedicated to an
obscure piece of Brooklyn’s waterfront
history. One monument will
commemorate the women who
worked in flag-making factories
in the Brooklyn Navy Yard during
the 1930s and ’40s, while another
will honor the borough’s Native
American roots.
Each roughly 10-foot high obelisk
stands atop a plinth that is covered
with blue-and-white tiles printed with
historic and original images, including
photos of tribal leaders. The obelisks
themselves are made of mirrors,
designed to reflect the viewer and the
landscape around them.
For DeSiano, one of the most
exciting aspects of the exhibit has
been the chance to return to her
native borough.
“I’m excited to have it in this location
because it’s an area I’ve thought
a lot about,” said DeSiano, who was
born and raised in Midwood. “It’s a
very rich area of Brooklyn.”
Photoville at Brooklyn Bridge
Plaza (17-31 Water St. between
New Dock and Old Fulton streets in
Dumbo. www.photoville.nyc). Open
Sept. 12–22, Thu–Fri, 4–10 p.m.;
Sat–Sun, noon–10 p.m. Free.
By Rose Adams Get your photo fill!
In addition to the many,
many images to see during the
eighth annual Photoville Festival starting
on Sept. 12 in Dumbo, there will
also be plenty to do.
The eight days of the festival,
stretched over two weekends, will feature
a series of lectures, tours, discussions,
and hands-on workshops. Some
events you should be sure to catch:
Open up
Be the first to check out the exhibits
when Photoville opens to the public at
4 p.m. on Sept. 12. And when you get
tired of walking around, you can settle at
the festival’s Smogasburg Beer Garden,
featuring food trucks and craft beer,
each day of the fest. Starting at 7 p.m.,
the opening ceremonies will celebrate
the 40 photographers in “The Fence”
exhibit stretching through Brooklyn
Bridge Park, and will recognize the
“People’s Choice” award winner.
Photoville at Brooklyn Bridge
Plaza (17-31 Water St. between
New Dock and Old Fulton streets in
Dumbo. www.photoville.nyc). Sept.
12 4–10 p.m. Free.
It’s about Times
Editors and photographers from the
New York Times speak about the most
visually compelling stories of the year,
and offer a behind-the-scenes look at
the Magazine’s upcoming “New York
City” issue.
“An Evening with the New York
Times” at Smorgasburg Beer Garden
at Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. Sept. 13 at
7:30 p.m. Free.
Family tour
Bring your kids to the “Photoville
Family Funtime Tour,” where Laura
Roumanos, the founder of Photoville,
and her daughter Violet will give young
visitors and their families a simplified
tour of the gigantic photo exhibit.
Meets at the New Dock Street
entrance to Photoville by Water
Street, north of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Sept. 21 at 4 p.m. Free.
Gone wild
At the talk “Conservation
Storytelling at National Geographic,”
three photographers for the nature
magazine will share their experiences
covering the poaching crisis.
Smorgasburg Beer Garden at
Brooklyn Bridge Plaza. Sept. 21 at
7:30 p.m. Free.
TBy Aidan Graham his f lick will really
draw you in!
A new animated
short film will take viewers
on a two-dimensional
tour of the iconic landmarks
of Kings County.
“Brooklyn Breeze,” which
makes its borough debut
at the Coney Island Film
Festival on Sept. 15, is an
illustrated celebration of
Brooklyn’s past, said its
creator.
“I tried to use landmarks
and things that
disappeared during the
16 years that I lived in
Brooklyn,” said Alex
Budovsky. “I wanted to
capture the Brooklyn that
I saw when I got to New
York in December 1994,
and show things that are
gone now.”
Budovsky, a Russianborn
animator who now
lives in Colombia, used
his film to take a final
tour of the borough —
highlighting both worldfamous
landmarks and
lesser-known spots close
to his heart, including
the Parachute Jump, the
Kentile Floors sign in
Gowanus, and Redbird
subway cars.
“Overall, I showed most
of the Brooklyn waterfront
from Coney Island to the
Williamsburg bridge,” he
said. “For me, this film is
a way to say goodbye, and
to let Brooklyn go.”
The former Brooklynite
found inspiration for his
animated short in the 1920s
jazz tune “Breezin Along
With the Breeze,” recorded
by contemporary act
Michael Arenella and His
Dreamland Orchestra —
which provides the short’s
smooth soundtrack.
The three-minute short
will screen during a block
of other animated films on
the third day of the Coney
Island Film festival. The
19th annual arts event will
kick off with an Opening
Night Party on Sept. 13,
featuring burlesque and
sideshow performances,
an open bar from Coney
Island Brewery, and food
from Gargiulo’s restaurant.
Over the next two days,
106 short films and features
will screen at the
festival.
Highlights include the
music video “The Day the
L Train Died” — a parody
of “American Pie” that
deals with commuter woes
(Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.), the
festival’s annual screening
of the iconic 1979 Coney
Island film “The Warriors”
(Sept. 14 at 10:30 p.m.),
and the short documentary
“How the Trumps Brought
Death and Destruction to
Coney Island” — about the
Trump family’s real estate
escapades in the People’s
Playground (Sept. 15 at 6
p.m.).
“Brooklyn Breeze” in the
Coney Island Film Festival
at Coney Island USA 1208
Surf Ave. at W. 12th Street
in Coney Island, (718) 372–
5159, www.coneyisland.
com. Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. $8.
Festival Sept. 13–15. Day
passes $12–$15 ($50 allfestival
pass).
Reflecting on the past: DeSiano’s “Absent Monument” obelisks will depict the hidden
history of the Brooklyn Waterfront. Rose DeSiano
Subway ride: “Brooklyn Breeze” premieres at the 19th annual Coney
Island Film Festival on Sept. 15, taking viewers on a two-dimensional
tour of Brooklyn. Alex Budovsky
Photo fest: The eighth annual Photoville
will come to Brooklyn Bridge Park this
fall, showcasing 85 free photo exhibits
in recycled shipping containers under the
Brooklyn Bridge. United Photo Industries
Toon town
THE BIG PICTURE
Best of the fest
Animated short celebrates
Bklyn at Coney Film Fest
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/www.coneyisland
/www.coneyisland