PART 4-5 Pointz, Exodus 2009

PART 4

5 Pointz, Exodus, 2009

이전 글과 사진(PART-3)을 보시려면 여길 클릭

사고 직후 소방관들이 건물내부로 들어가 남아있는 사람이 있나 확인하기 위해서 잠겨져 있는 문을 부순 흔적들. 

작가들이 자신의 작업실 문 앞에 붙여놓은 글들. 

 

사고 전 마지막 아티스트 커뮤니티 미팅 알림문. 

내 작업실 바로 앞 작가의 작업실을 찾아가 보니, 아직 완성하지 못한 정물화를 위해서 이사 전 테이블에 놓여있던 정물들의 위치를 일일이 펜으로 마크하고 있는 중 이었다. 

나와 같은 층에 있었던 또다른 작가 역시 수만은 물건들을 버리고 나와야 했던 상황. 신중하게 정말 필요한 것들만 정리하고 있다. 위의 책들 역시 이사 후 그대로 남겨져 있었다. 

315 Studio, Crane Street Studios, L.I.C, NY, 2009

나와 대학 동기형이 같이 썼던 작업실, 그리고 거기서 나온 쓰레기 더미. 

그리고...

아티스트 작업실의 벽과 문들을 차례로 부수기 시작했다. 

몇달이 더 지나, 건물 관계자의 허락하에 다시 한번 내부로 들어가 보았다. 

내부의 모든것들을 허문 뒤 깨끗하게 청소한것도 모자라 흰 페인트로 마치 예술가들의 기억마저도 덮으려 한 느낌이 들었다.   

Crane Street Studios(5 Pointz), 2010, Long Island City, NY

Exodus 2009

April 10th, 2009 around 4pm, the fire staircase, outside of Crane Street Studios building (well known as 5pointz), collapsed; very unfortunately, one artist having a studio in the building was walking down the stair while it collapsed. The artist was trapped under the concrete and the people around there tried to rescue her. A few minutes later, fire fighters came and got the artist out from the debris. Fortunately, the artist survived. Right after the tragic incident, the building from the 2^nd to the 5^th floor (all artist studios) was shut down tentatively. Some of the artists in the building looked for new studios, though most of the artists, including me, had an ambiguous belief and hope that we could be back as soon as the building was fixed. However, about four months later, more than hundreds of artists lost our own studios and were migrated against our will by the New York City Building Department for Queens and the landlord as well. The biggest issue why the artists had to move was that the partitions of each studio were totally illegal. Only one tenant by law is allowed to take the entire floor without a partition in this building.

I did not have chance to hear whether the injured artist got better physically and mentally. Even now some of the artists are still struggling to find new places to create art.

 

I have been taking pictures at the Crane Street Studios in Long Island City ever since the staircase collapsed.  Most of these photos were taken after the artists left their studios.

For me and my camera, it was a shocking moment of not only artistic diversities, but a tremendous sorrow as well.

 

God bless all artists.

January, 2010 

Jaiseok Kang a.k.a Jason River (Studio #315, Crane Street Studios, LIC)

More photos of Exodus 2009 

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Photo Courtesy of Namhong Jo, 2009

PART 4

5 Pointz, Exodus 2009

©Jaiseok Kang a.k.a Jason River. All Rights Reserved.