Shifting Impressions LES Walking Tour

Can our individual impressions and ephemeral daily experiences affect, influence, or inform our collective memory of the constantly developing Lower East Side?

The identity of the Lower East Side is tied to its consistently changing physical, cultural, and social landscape. Shifting Impressions embraces the essence of the LES by incorporating change and evolution into the design of the exhibition. Through the three public walks in April, the current objects installed at Cuchifritos Gallery will be replaced with the fresh clay impressions of the neighborhood. Each walk will focus on the site through a different conceptual lens that highlights the heterogeneous identity of the LES. The first walk will explore the neighborhood’s embedded immigrant history, the second walk will engage with its historically artistic identity, and the third walk will examine the unidentified spaces of future change. The goal of Shifting Impressions is to create a platform for the public not only to engage with each other about questions and ideas presented by City Souvenirs, but also to contribute to the collective experience and history of the project. “Shifting Impressions” becomes analogous to the moving current of individuals, objects, interactions, conversations, moments, and memories of the LES, and situates individual impressions and ephemeral daily experiences as a critical piece of collective memory of the constantly developing Lower East Side.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Shifting Impressions and the ongoing collaborative project City Souvenirs, artist Liene Bosquê will lead three walking tours throughout the Lower East Side beginning on Saturday, April 11 at 4pm.

All walks will begin at Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space. No sign up necessary.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Shifting Impressions
Featuring City Souvenirs, a project by Liene Bosquê and Nicole Seisler
Curated by Lynnette Miranda

Exhibition Dates: March 28 – April 26, 2015
Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 12-6pm
Location: 120 Essex Street NY, NY 10002
(inside Essex Street Market)

Public Walks: Saturday, April 11, 18, and 25. All walks begin at 4pm at Cuchifritos Gallery.

Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space is pleased to present Shifting Impressions, an exhibition featuring City Souvenirs, a collaborative project between artists Liene Bosquê and Nicole Seisler, curated byLynnette Miranda.

Shifting Impressions consists of three public walks in the Lower East Side, and an exhibition that highlights a collection of objects and tools developed from City Souvenirs, an ongoing collaborative project by artists Liene Bosquê and Nicole Seisler. Created in 2009, City Souvenirs focuses on a series of participatory walks through city neighborhoods, where public audiences are invited to make direct impressions of the built landscape with fresh blocks of clay. Embarking on a conceptual and physical exploration of site, Bosquê and Seisler collect these clay objects after participants have made their marks. One side of the clay records sharp architectural details, while the other retains the shape of the hand and its subtle lines and fingerprints. Blending their mutual site-specific practices, the artists utilize the contemplative action of walking as an artmaking tool that enables audiences to slow down and notice the small details that amount to our daily urban experience.