For more info and images go to the project website.

by BOX 1035: Alysse Stepanian, Philip Mantione :

BOX 1035 is a name derived from our New York Post Office box, a reference to our only remaining physical/geographical idea of permanence and a symbol of transience. In November of 2005 we embarked on a series of temporary situations, living a nomadic lifestyle for the sake of experience. This installation embraces this sense of placelessness and reflects our attempts to reconcile or in a sense unify the opposites: movement/stasis, the ephemeral and the permanent.

The text in this installation refers to the subconscious that eventually resists the machinations of society and culture. The “slip” is an unconscious feeling that makes itself known by accident, and it is the idea of the accident that is at once fearful and appealing. Almost prophetically, this installation was realized in our absence, based on emailed instructions, video and sound recorded at our first two temporary locations in Barcelona and Beijing.

The projected video of the sea is a snippet of time, a frozen memory where movement is caged by its frame and duration, in a two-dimensional reality. Within these confines is an illusion of abundance and perpetual movement, sharply contrasted with the tangible reality of the water bottle sculpture, a symbol of commodification and scarcity. The controlled and transparent recycling system opposes the mysterious and seemingly random rhythms of the sea imagery. The artificial pond, denied its illusionary function and stripped of its intended context becomes an impotent attempt to duplicate nature in tangible form.

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by Karen Shaw, Senior Curator:

The waves provide a continually changing blanket of sound while the sonorities of urban life, commerce and civilization punctuate, interfere and insist on being heard. The sound of the sea is directly connected to the projected image, becoming part of that illusion. The urban field recordings engage the imagination and perceptions of each listener, potentially creating a multitude of visual and aural interpretations.

 

Like frozen memories and caged movements, the “e-postcards” found on box1035.com allow friends, family, and anyone else in the world to access a selection of our choreographed experiences. This documentation acknowledges that throughout our state of transience and movement, we remain bound to memory and relationships where there is constant interplay between the tangible world, illusions and predispositions.

“Having given up their permanent address, the artists now describe themselves as nomads. They travel the globe, yet maintain permanent residence on their web-site. Through e-correspondence, they created an installation in the Carriage House that comments on pollution, global relations and the simple act of keeping in touch with friends and family.”