From London to the ‘Burg … Shared Environmental Impressions

Williamsburg and Greenpoint have a passionate shared environment, a strong sense of community, especially when it comes to the arts. This weekend the area played host to two “arts and crafts” related events.

One of the art related events was the unveiling of Future Phenomena, a piece by artist Amanda Browder—a large scale (40 foot) fabric art sculpture covered the entire side of a building on Manhattan Ave. It was brightly coloured and beautifully pieced together but the most impressive detail about the art work, is the fact that it was made, in all its glory, by volunteer hands, showing a true representation of the group effort in the Greenpoint community; sewing from March until June. This piece is paving the way for the much needed ‘together-ness’ of the area and its inhabitants; a physical display of the community’s effort to recycle and reuse. With all the construction, activism, and I’m sad to say change, that this community is facing, this piece sheds light onto a much darker phenomena.

The other event was a little more “happening.” On the corner of North 15th St and Wythe Ave the new Phun Phactory was being celebrated by booming hip-hop music and the decorating of the surrounding walls. This decoration consisted of graffiti artists from the neighbourhood coming together and doing what they do best. The street art is elaborate and truly a demonstration of some of the best artists around. The Phun Phactory itself is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to promoting aerosol and mural arts, as well as helping street artists in finding space in which to show-case. The mission of the new Phun Phactory is to turn one area of Williamsburg into an outdoor gallery, giving people the chance to experience these works; “a neighbourhood of art,” something I am starting to believe Williamsburg itself, unquestionably is.