Lisa Kirk: Revolution! at 1133 Broadway
SmartSpaces is pleased to present Revolution!, a storefront installation by Lisa Kirk in the windows of 1133 Broadway, between 25th and 26th streets, New York, from May 1 - June 1, 2010, curated by Ulrich Lang.
Conceived as the end result of several years of research and related works, Revolution! addresses the marketing of transgressive political and social practices and marks International Workers’ Day (May 1), a day traditionally defined by political demonstrations and celebrations.
The installation features an upside-down fragrance lab and anarchist hideout in one window, and a distressed store display in the other. This exhibition activates the empty storefront and seeks to energize the local NoMad neighborhood. Signage and free cell phone audio guides provide passersby instant access to information about the work and the space, generously donated by Kew Management.
Through interviews with anonymous journalists, activists, and political radicals, Lisa Kirk developed the original Revolution! fragrance based on their olfactory memories of revolution. She crafted the final scent to evoke the odors of smoke, gasoline, tear gas, burnt rubber and decaying flesh, packaged in limited edition as a precious metal pipe bomb created in collaboration with Jelena Behrend and produced by PARTICIPANT INC. Kirk’s newest fragrance, Timebomb, is a continuation of her scent-based work made in collaboration with Sara Meltzer Gallery.
A retail version of Revolution! fragrance is on sale at No. 8a at the Ace Hotel for $50, and Lisa's original video, Revolution! (the commercial), created in collaboration with Gabriel Jeffrey, will be featured at the opening event May 7th and also in the Ace Hotel's video on demand for the duration of the exhibition.
Video still from Revolution! (the commercial) (2009) © Lisa Kirk and Gabriel Jeffrey. Courtesy of the collection of Tom Powel
Made possible with the generous support of: Build it Green, Kew Management, Look Solutions, Beveridge Seay, and InFocus.
Special thanks to: Ace Hotel; American Apparel; Kew Management, Look Solutions; Sara Meltzer Gallery; No. 8a; PARTICIPANT, INC; Patricia Choux for Takasago; Tom Powel; Ulrich Lang New York. Lisa Kirk is represented by Invisible-Exports.
