Courtesy NBNY - Nicole Stoddard

Aurora Brooklyn Borealis Shines on West Street

Nuit Blanche New York’s (NBNY), “Bring to Light” festival has spun off a mini-series, “The Autumn Bowl” that will run for the entire month of October. The art show in Greenpoint’s waterfront will create the same nostalgia with innovative performances by artists using light, sound and projectors.

The combinations of the light and sound exhibit will be dancing on the walls of the former skate park that held the same name, Autumn Bowl, which was opened to the public in 2010. The exhibit, housed at the former home of the American Rope Factory at 67 West Street, will light up the walls until Wednesday, October 31st. The space is divided into two parts and holds 380 people in all. Organizers, however, believe that there will be constant rotation throughout the night and more people will experience the event.

Even though the success of the two-year-old “Bring to Light” festival drew more than 25,000 people that experienced the art of light, sound and projection, NBNY Creative Director Ken Farmer said that he is excited about this event because they will be able showcase more local artists in a longer period of time. “This festival will be able to maintain a longer exposure in the community than the previous one day event,” said Farmer. “I’m excited to be in this space and to utilize so many talented local artists”. NBNY is utilizing local talent from the neighborhood. “Many of the artists live so close that it takes them 10 minutes to walk home,” said Farmer.

The Autumn Bowl started with a sold-out weekend on October 6, and will continue its performance and installations programming with “Whispers: A Sound and Art Series,” Friday, October 12. The weekend series will showcase six different artists Friday and Saturday night, pairing them with DJs and musicians in various genres.. “We want the artists to strive for visual content and sound,” said Farmer. The first performance is at 8pm by Long Distance Poison with visuals by Matthew Caron. On Saturday the evening is topped off with a DJ set by Brooklyn resident Bryce Hackford.

The organizers are immensely excited about how well the acoustics in the 19th century rope factory has blended with the light and projection show that the 50 ft. high structure provides. “It feels like a chapel or cathedral for this type of event,” said Farmer. NBNY’s media coordinator, Nicole Stoddard, says that the waterfront site that was built in 1890 will give the art aficionados a new insight of Greenpoint. “The series will illuminate a cavernous industrial space and highlight the building’s potential as a hub of creative activity,” said Stoddard.

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