THE LAB Presents: Brent Birnbaum’s ‘The Bureau of Apology’ Curated by Daria Brit Shapiro
Posted on 04. Apr, 2012 by danikadruttman in Arts, LAB Gallery
THE BUREAU OF APOLOGY By Brent Birnbaum Curated by Daria Brit Shapiro April 6-27th 2012
Subscribing to the belief that the contemporary artist is an entrepreneur, Brent Birnbaum channels the infamous and legendary traditions of snake oil salesmen and street psychics, in his performative installation, The Bureau of Apology. A real, functioning business in which viewers can partake to absolve themselves of guilt and burden, The Bureau of Apology is as credible as a vision in a crystal ball: it is out of our own necessity that we believe.
Brent Birnbaum: Mini Doc
A site-specific installation for The LAB Gallery’s “fishbowl” space, The Bureau of Apology is a “family-run” organization, spearheaded by the ever-engaging Brent Birnbaum, clad in an unforgettable purple suit. Considering himself to be “a traveling salesman, snake charmer, and street preacher” rolled into one, the artist has created his own unique brand, that is as relevant as it is irreverent.
Studio Visit with Brent Birnbaum, March 2012
A “walk-in sculpture”, that resembles a defunct office, The B.O.A. is replete with outdated consumerist bric-a-brac, re-imagined into sculptural objects- a hallmark of Birnbaum’s work. The artist will appear for a limited number of performances, offering Bureau services to passersby. For the first time, The Lab Gallery will open its doors to admit a limited number of guests to interact with the artist and essentially become part of the performance.
In an effort to break down the boundaries between viewer and artwork, Birnbaum’s work is often interactive, daring visitors to engage on a personal level. The Bureau of Apology will offer conscience-clearing services that range from hand-scribed pre-written and custom apologies, to “house callz”, wherein Birnbaum will appear at a prescribed location to apologize on your behalf.
To ensure that apologies are indeed authentic: all correspondence will bear the official Bureau seal, however, there is no guarantee of honesty, as each participant will ultimately be required to confront themselves in the process.
The LAB Gallery
501 Lexington Ave
New York NY 10017
212.339.2092
rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com
http://thelabgallery.com/
THE LAB:THEATER Presents AGAMEMNON:REDUX February 23- March 18, 2012
Posted on 20. Jan, 2012 by danikadruttman in Arts, the LAB
A Modern Adaptation by ROBERT AULETTA Directed by KENNETH RYAN Lighting Designer HERRICK GOLDMAN Wardrobe Consultant NANCY THUN Sounds Design JEANNE TRAVIS ANNA FRANKL-DUVAL REBECCA NELSON* JEREMY SMITH* PETER ROGAN* KENNETH RYAN* SARAH WHARTON
*Courtesy Actors Equity Association
THE LAB is pleased to announce the upcoming production of Robert Auletta’s AGAMEMNON:REDUX, a modern adaptation of Aeschalus’ Agamemnon. Staged in the penthouse of the Roger 
Smith Hotel, this play will be performed to an exclusive audience of 40 people a night for a limited run of 16 performances only.
Experiential theater in its most raw form, this famous Greek tragedy will unfold around audience members in the hotel’s intimate penthouse. One of the most unusual and private spots in the city, this space is most notable for its domed ceiling that inspired the famed architect Buckminster Fuller to design his Geodesic Dome. The distinctive room provides for a dramatic staging of the play as actors unexpectedly emerge from side rooms, back rooms and even exterior balconies, sharing the close space with the audience, bringing a fresh immediacy to this re-telling of an ancient classic.
The Cast of Agamemnon:Redux “On Agamemnon”
THE LAB Presents “Actors: On Acting” The Cast of Agamemnon:Redux
“I’m a New Yorker, born and raised. And the clarity of language is important to me” says Obie Award-winning playwright Robert Auletta (Peter Sellars’ AJAX and THE PERSIANS). “Language needs to be visceral. I’m trying to do something that brings the story to today’s audience and makes it accessible in the same way it may have been experienced by a Greek audience in 485 B.C.”
Director Kenneth Ryan (founding member of American Repertory Theatre)says “This is a lean, mean fighting machine performed by six actors, using a raw poetic text that brings the traditional elements of Aeschelus’ work into the vernacular of today. The Wild Bunch takes on the Greeks.”
Agamemnon:Redux opens Thursday February 23rd and runs through Sunday March 18th, Thursdays through Sundays at 8PM. Seating is extremely limited and tickets are $18. There will be a “Tweetview” performance (open to anyone reserving their seat through Twitter) on February 21st. Send us a tweet! @AgaRedux
For Further information visit www.agamemnonredux.com
CONTACT: Danika Druttman at 212-891-5969 or email rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com.
THE LAB: THEATER
[a roger smith collaboration]
THE LAB: GALLERY Presents Mickett Stackhouse January 13- February 3, 2012
Posted on 10. Jan, 2012 by danikadruttman in Arts, Hotel, LAB Gallery, the LAB
By Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse
Curated by Creighton Michael
January 13 – February 3 2012
THE LAB: GALLERY is pleased to present Breath of Water, an installation by Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse.
Breath of Water is part of the artist’s on-going exploration into the representation of water both two-dimensionally and three-dimensionally. Their work is framed by the ideas of two Presocratic philosophers: Thales and Heraclitus. Thales discusses the omnipresence of water and it’s shape-shifting ability when he claimed that everything is water. Heraclitus, by asserting that one can not step in the same river twice, argues that identity is deeply rooted in change. Breath of Water looks at winter water as an almost secret environment not unlike the world inside a snow globe.
Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse have been collaborating since 1999. During this time, they have produced large-scale sculpture, painting, and prints. Mickett comes to the collaboration from a background in philosophy, film, radio, poetry, and theater. Stackhouse followed a traditional visual arts path, and his individual work can be found in museum collections around the world including the Museum of Modern Art, The National Gallery of Australia, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Both Mickett and Stackhouse hold Ph.Ds: Mickett in philosophy and Stackhouse has an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of South Florida.
All works of art and performances in THE LAB: GALLERY are shown within the confines of the space, and are intended to be viewed by the audience from the sidewalk. This event is free and viewable 24/7.
A Great Start to 2012! @RSHotel is what’s happening! @Chrisbrogan & Google+ @Harlanmack #Studio501 Popup Shop!
Posted on 08. Jan, 2012 by JohnKnowles in Community, Events, Hotel
I’d like to share with you some highlights from our first week of the New Year @RSHotel. There’s much to look forward to! On January 4th we met with Chris Brogan to talk about Google + for business! His book is a complete Business Guide to Google+, Today’s Hottest New Social Network!
On January 5th we celebrated the work of sculptor Harlan Mack at our first artist dinner for the 125 Window Gallery in the starlight ballroom.
Follow www.125windowgallery.tumblr.com for updates.
The third highlight of the week and major development of the year is the acquisition of a new space currently known as Studio 501 located between the RS Pop shop and the Lab Gallery. This space will activate new and exciting brand collaborations in 2012. Stay tuned for more details!
In thinking about this new space, I am not sure what to call it… What would you call this new popup space? What would you do with a time limited popup opportunity? Look forward to your feedback. Happy New Year!
Please share, comment and engage!
Thanks
John Knowles – Director of Digital
Marketing
@RShotel
@Pancity
THE LAB:GALLERY Presents INTERSECTION February 10-March 2, 2012
Posted on 03. Jan, 2012 by danikadruttman in Hotel, LAB Gallery
INTERSECTION
A sound-based, site-specific installation by Pat Badt and Scott Sherk Curated by Creighton Michael February 10-March 2, 2012
The LAB: GALLERY is pleased to present Intersection, a sound-based, site-specific installation by Pat Badt and Scott Sherk.
Badt and Sherk’s creative practice involves cultivating awareness of the qualities of specific spaces through the realignment of the senses. This installation, Intersection, concentrates on the stop and go of the midtown traffic outside the gallery, focusing on the pulse and energy of the city. A hanging string column cycles between stillness and movement, while real time video sonograms and spectrograms are projected on to the gallery walls making the sound of the intersection visual.
Intersection: The Teaser
Pat Badt and Scott Sherk have collaborated on several site-specific installations, shown at Katonah Museum of Art, the Kim Foster Gallery, Point, Line, Lafayette College, Marshall University and Martial Arts Center, Memphis. Pat Badt is a painter and a Professor of Art at Cedar Crest College. Scott Sherk is sculptor who often works with sound. He most recently completed a sound project for the Katonah Museum of Art and is a Professor of Art at Muhlenberg College. Together Pat Badt and Scott Sherk curate thethirdbarn.org.
All works of art and performances in THE LAB:GALLERY are shown within the confines of the space, and are intended to be viewed by the audience from the sidewalk. This event is free and viewable 24/7.
THE LAB:GALLERY
[a roger smith collaboration]
501 Lexington Ave
New York NY 10017
ph. 212.339.2092
www.thelabgallery.com
rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com
REVIEW: Art critic Jonathan Goodman on The LAB’s Summer 2011 Show ‘Projected Drawings’ by Helen Dennis
Posted on 30. Nov, 2011 by danikadruttman in Arts, Community, Hotel
Helen Dennis at The LAB
Educated both in England and America, Helen Dennis has decided to stay on the States, where she appreciates the openness of the art world she participates in. Part of this freedom has to do with the styles and themes the artist has chosen–Dennis works figuratively, primarily describing architecture and outdoor street life in white on black drawings; she takes numerous snapshot photos of her chosen site, then projecting them onto black paper and painting or drawing the images according to her photographic guide. For the current project at The LAB (on through September 2nd), Dennis has used the corner gallery space as an ongoing experimental site, rendering the roads—47th Street and Lexington Avenue—and their buildings, which have been projected from numerous photographic snapshots fitted together. As a result, her stay at the gallery means several things at once: a chance to see someone work on a big picture, the ability to see the work develop over time, and the opportunity to consider the relations between the rendered image and the actual visual cues that inspired it.
Dennis, who is at great pains to be precise and accurate in her vision, has been using markers filled with reflective silver paint, which is applied to black paper put up on the wall; the work’s presence at night is spectacular, animated by a spectral glow that is never diffuse because of the right-angled architectural features she is presenting to her audience. The results are wonderfully visual: the iridescence of the silver results nearly in an image that looks like it is electrically lit! Of course, that isn’t Dennis’s point, which is instead oriented toward a poetic re-presentation of the city, at a site whose coordinates match those of the streets immediate outside it. Dennis, whose activities and friendships are truly international in their implications, shows us just how urban—and urbane—we have become in New York, one of the great art capitals of the world. Although the blocks framing the gallery do not stand out to the casual passerby, it is clear that the artist is using them as a reference to the seen reality of a city street, whose rhythm and building supports both are captured by Dennis’s skillful renderings. And it is a wonderful thing to be able to track imagined realism with the actual objects themselves, however close or loose relations might be between the two.
Two of the four walls consist of glass windows, allowing a casual viewer passing by outside to gauge the two other walls, which Dennis has covered with black paper. She has complete command of perspective, given the sharp angles of the buildings and streets she presents by using the markers. Rows of windows are caught, and their angled parallelograms are filled in, leaving a very bright impression of a façade; other urban details are paid attention too: streetlamps, one-way traffic signs, and, a favorite object of Dennis’s, bicycles. In a way, it would be easy to view Dennis’s journey as an impressionistic attempt to give the city its due, but my feeling is that she is offering more than a map of New York. It has something to do with the ambience of the city, an unspoken presence that is captured by Dennis’s playing close attention to detail—for example, on the second wall, there is a door leading to the hotel space the gallery is part of; Dennis has accommodated its access by drawing carefully across, to the point where the outline of the door is difficult to see. Dennis, a gifted craftsperson, also knows how New Yorkers are often emotional, even triumphalist about the experience of their city. As someone coming from England, she keeps her affection for New York in practical restraint, even as she makes it clear that she too loves the everyday experience of America’s great metropolis.
By Jonathan Goodman
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is a New York based, converted storefront producing fast paced performance art and site-specific installations. Viewable exclusively from the sidewalk and aimed at the furious midtown foot traffic, The LAB’s exhibitions seek to throw a moment of uncertainty into the predictable monotony of the midtown shuffle, forcing an interaction between the high energy, “outrospective” work it produces and the nearly 25,000 daily passersby. The LAB is located on the North East corner of 47th and Lex and is a Roger Smith Collaboration
For more information about The LAB CLICK HERE
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At The LAB Gallery: PROJECT 101′ A Video Installation by AMBruno, November 4-25th 2011
Posted on 31. Oct, 2011 by danikadruttman in LAB Gallery
The London based group of artists, AMBruno, presents an installation of 101 individual film works by 40 artists. All the pieces are silent and of exactly 101 seconds (1′ 41″) duration, these will be screened at The LAB on an array of monitors positioned throughout the space.
Working in various disciplines the members of AMBruno were brought together by ‘their wish to extend beyond their particular discipline, be it painting, photography, video, performance or sculpture’. Initially this exploration focused on the medium of artists’ books; a number of which are now in private and major public collections, including those of the Tate and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
AMBruno‘s commitment to experimentation led the members to take their work beyond the material temporality of the book, into that of the moving image. It was proposed that each member develop a screen work with the single formal constraint of 101 seconds duration; being more than a clip but less than a short.
Watch The Interview
Teaser by John Birdsong
Twenty-three pieces were shown at The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, University of Leeds in March 2010. The success of this has encouraged the group to expand the project by inviting an open international submission for new works, made to the same time specification. In order to truly represent the formidable variety and quality of proposed pieces 101 works have been selected. These films have been produced with a wide range of technical means, from mobile phones to high-definition video. Forms include animation, live action, sequential stills, written text and computer-generated image.
101 was initiated by Sophie Loss. The project was developed and co-ordinated by Sophie Loss and John McDowall. Additional supervision by Joanna Hill with the help of Judy Goldhill, Claire Deniau and Steve Perfect.
PROJECT 101
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Charlotte Andrews John Archer Louise Atkinson Joseph Cutts Sara Dell’Onze Claire Deniau Manya Donaque Georgia Elizey and Tim Riley Warren Garland Clara Glyn Tim Goffe Judy Goldhill Joanna Greenhill Jane Grisewood Joanna Hill Lilian Igbinosun Ingrid Jenson Carl Jaycock Kurt Johannessen Paul Jones Sean Kaye and Jenny West Noe Kidder Sharon Kivland Ron Lapid Philip Lee Simon Lewandowski Toby Lloyd Sophie Loss John McDowall Katherine Melancom Steve Perfect Veronica Perez Karleson Christina Reading Lucy Reynolds Rekha Sameer Carl Slater Chris Taylor Susan Trangmar Cally Trench Helen Wood
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The LAB: ‘Apology’ by Kata Mejia October 7-28, 2011
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by danikadruttman in Art at Roger Smith, Arts, Events, Hotel, LAB Gallery, the LAB
‘APOLOGY’ PERFORMANCE INSTALLATION BY KATA MEJIA OCTOBER 7-28, 2011 501 LEX AT 47TH ST
We are pleased to announce Kata Mejia’s fifth show at The LAB (for installation + performance art). APOLOGY, a performance installation, questions the meaning, effects and repercussions of both asking for, and being asked for forgiveness.
Through physical actions that transcend the spoken, written and felt qualities of an apology, the performance installation will focus on the idea that an apology cannot repair damage. “Receiving an apology may at times even cause a feeling of emptiness within those wronged.” explains Mejia.
The artist will use her body to paint the gallery floor. Using a paint soaked thread to create winding, meandering traces in an abstract oval shape, she will use only her feet to pull her proned body and the thread backwards through the space. Mejia’s struggle to complete the action will reference the idea that an apology is a difficult journey for those who receive it as well as a weight laden with guilt for those who offer it. Furthermore, as the artist moves throughout the space the lines on the floor will build up causing past lines to become less intense and less significant, reflecting the way memory and possibly pain diminish with time.
Performances will take place October 6th and 7th, 6-8pm. The installation will be on view October 7-28th.
Kata Mejia is a performance artist with a background in painting and dance who lives and works in Philadelphia. She graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Masters degree in Performance in 2004. She received her BFA from Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Medellin. She has been awarded several grants and scholarships, including the James Nelson Raymond Fellowship in 2004, the Trustee Scholarship from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, a Colombian Government Scholarship for Graduate Studies abroad, and a Graduate Studies Scholarship from Universidad Nacional de Colombia in 2002. Kata Mejía received a 2009 Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.Kata Mejia website
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is a New York based, converted storefront turned fishbowl producing 20+ fast paced performance art and installation exhibitions annually. Aimed at the furious midtown foot traffic, The LAB’s programming is designed to confront modern relationships between art and audience and seeks to force an interaction between the high energy, “outrospective” exhibitions it produces and the nearly 25,000 daily passersby. The LAB is located on the North East corner of 47th and Lex and is a Roger Smith Collaboration. The LAB Gallery website
For further information contact Danika Druttman on 212.339.2092 or email rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com
The Roger Smith is a hub for social media in #NYC. People. Art. Food. Wine. For 10% off our best available rooms rate: bit.ly/RSrooms
twitter: twitter.com/rshotel
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September in The LAB Gallery: Jongil Ma 9.2.11-9.30.11
Posted on 25. Aug, 2011 by danikadruttman in Art at Roger Smith, Arts, Events, LAB Gallery, the LAB
PASSING A BUNCH OF BEETLES PREPARING THEIR GRACIOUS DINNER PARTYINSTALLATION |
In his second show at The LAB Gallery, Jongil Ma will be collaborating with Elizabeth Winton to create a forested enclave that will transform The LAB into a real life illustration as if `from a children’s book. The scene will include a troupe of elaborate, fantastical beetles and a wolf preying over them as they prepare for a feast. They will be surrounded by both urban and wild landscapes with flickering buildings, leafless dead trees, paper cutouts and bushes.
Jongil Ma, best known for creating large abstract installations of bound colorful wood strips, and Elizabeth Winton, who has been working with mixed media collage and painting for years, will come together to build a surreal picture of our time’s concerns. Steeped in both humor and a more serious social awareness, the installation will illuminate the unique fears of our current time. The piece will play off innate tensions between the playful and political, the individual and the social, the real and manipulated.
Interview with Jongil Ma and Elizabeth Winton
Studio visit with Jongil Ma
Jongil Ma received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2002. He has had a solo exhibition at The LAB Gallery in 2009 as well as participating in shows at in Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows at Jamaica Center For Arts & Learning in Queens, LMCC Governors Island Project in 2010, as well as public art projects sponsored by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism of Korea in Kwangju and Damyang respectively. His work has been featured in international exhibitions including the 2009 International Incheon Women Artist’s Biennale in Korea and he participated in the Lodz Biennale 2010 in Poland. Jongil recently showed in the AIM Biennial Exhibition in the Bronx Museum in June and ‘Flow. 11 Art and Music at Randall’s Island, Islip Art Museum in May, 2011 and Space K Gallery at Kolon Building in Gwacheon Korea. His awards have included the INC Visual Arts Award from the AHL Foundation and a Fellowship from Socrates Sculpture Park, The artist of year from Hanyang. Jongil Ma website
Elizabeth Winton is a Brooklyn-based visual artist working primarily in painting, collage and printmaking. She received her BA with a focus in fine art from Connecticut College in 1991. During this period and continuing after graduation she studied independently in New York, working as an artist’s assistant to Elizabeth Murray and Mimi Gross. Elizabeth has had residencies in Johnson, VT and retreats in Provincetown, MA and East Hampton, NY. She has exhibited her work throughout the United States, including shows at Lower East Side Printshop, New York, NY; Kolok Gallery, North Adams, MA, Margaret Bodell Gallery, New York, NY; the Ruby Green Contemporary Art Center in Nashville, TN; and the Guadalupe Cultural Center, San Antonio, TX. Her most recent solo show, curated by Douglas Dunn, was at CUE Art Foundation in 2011. Elizabeth Winton website
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is a New York based, converted storefront turned fishbowl producing 20+ fast paced performance art and installation exhibitions annually. Aimed at the furious midtown foot traffic, The LAB’s programming is designed to confront modern relationships between art and audience and seeks to force an interaction between the high energy, “outrospective” exhibitions it produces and the nearly 25,000 daily passersby. The LAB is located on the North East corner of 47th and Lex and is a Roger Smith Collaboration. The LAB Gallery website
For further information contact Danika Druttman on 212.339.2092 or email rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com
Installation time lapse video
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Popsicle Party at The LAB, September 1st 2011
Posted on 24. Aug, 2011 by danikadruttman in Art at Roger Smith, Arts, Events, LAB Gallery, the LAB
PROJECTED DRAWINGS BY HELEN DENNIS
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST 6:30-7:30pm
Please join us to celebrate the completion of our Summer show ‘Projected Drawings’, with home-made Popsicles from the Roger Smith Food Cart outside the gallery on the corner of 47th and Lexington.
SHOW ENDS SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2011
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Helen Dennis: Projected Drawings Video Interview click to watch
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