Artist and author collaborate on multimedia Gowanus-themed project
Amy Sohn (known for her Park Slope-based novels “Prospect Park West” and “Motherland”) and artist Christina Kelly have collaborated on a multimedia project, “Gowanus Underworld,” as part of a Gowanus-themed group show, “Falling In,” at Trestle Projects. Each of the artists in “Falling In” developed pieces with special connections to the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund waters of the Gowanus Canal.
For “Gowanus Underworld,” Kelly took found objects from the banks of the Gowanus and cast them in concrete. Concrete has long been associated with Gowanus, going back to the late 19th-century Coignet Agglomerate Company in the Coignet building at the corner of Third Avenue and Third Street — believed to be the first artificial stone building in New York City. The industry continues to be active along the canal even today.
Drawing on historical newspaper accounts, including some from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sohn unearthed true stories from Gowanus’ history relating to each object. She wrote original monologues based on these stories, which were recorded by actors to bring the emotional dramas to life.