haunted houses - a 16 mm film
HAUNTED HOUSES PROJECTS
Over the last 15 years, Harlem as a whole has gone through a period of massive re-development and gentrification.Third Avenue between 100th and 120th street has not seen much change since many buildings there are not only boarded up but even 'bricked up' for many decades. The reasons are complex but real estate speculations, mismanagement and general distrust in the neighborhood are overwhelmingly to blame.
'Haunted houses" refers to vacant buildings in Spanish Harlem as mentioned in a New York Times article by a housing advocate. According to this article
"one of four low-rise residential buildings on avenues or major cross streets in East Harlem had open stores but sealed-up residential floors." This results in thousands of lost housing unites, lost residents and lost revenues for the neighborhood. Thus, East Harlem suffers from a sense of normalcy and a lack of residential vitality. From an aesthetic point of view this inaction offers the beautiful spectacle of a time capsule and caters to all the negative prejudices this neighborhood has suffered so much from. From an formalist point of view it is a beautiiful cascade of images that are interrupted by the given split camera projection set up and thus rendering this articture interesting and very much alife.
I have been living in this neighborhood since 1997 and have been working on various projects concering Spanish Harlem. In 2012, I took a little work space in one of these magnificent buldings on 3rd avenue and 107th street (1950 Third Avenue) and use if for multiple purposes - as an artist studio but also as an event space:
EL MUNDO - A CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT. . - JANUARY 2013,
HAUNTING HOUSES PROJECTS - READING SEMINARS
READING WITTGENSTEIN
Reading Ludwig Wittgenstein, On private language, New York 1/8/2013
A HAUNTED HOUSES PROJECT, Harlem, New York, January 2013
DICTATORS ON DEMOCRACY SERIES
Reading Saddam Hussein, On Democracy, New York 1977/ 2012
This reading seminar series will continue with Lenin, Mao and Macchiavelli. Others will follow.
Reading Hugo Chaves, March 2013 ff
Reading Lenin - Imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism, 20013
HAUNTED HOUSES PROJECTS: FILM
"HAUNTED HOUSES" - Vacant buildings on Third Avenue between 99th and 120th Street, 2012
16 mm, color film
HAUNTED HOUSES PROJECTS - PHOTOGRAPHS
coming soon. sorry. not yet on line
in the meantime my Hanted Houses studio has turned into a sneaky Haunted Houses and I was kicked out due ot the very shady renting practices of the guy in charge --- a guy who wanted to even do some pimping on the side ..... ( .... "you want. ... 150 /an hours")