E M P T Y | V E S S E L | P R O J E C T | N E W S
EV is a World War II Navy Rescue boat. We saved her from demolition in the Bronx and brought her to Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal. By next year, she will become an Art and Design Center fostering projects focused on sustainable living in post-industrial urban landscapes. EV, herself, will be the first such project. We will begin by hosting work parties, movie nights, seminars, concerts, dinners, and workshops.
You are welcome to participate, suggest your own events, stop by and chat or offer insight. This missive is designed to serve as a guide for your participation. It will come out at the beginning of each week. If you have any suggestions for how this newsletter can be improved, contact
as@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org.
This is issue number nine.
U P C O M I N G | C A L E N D A R
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
EV DONNERSTAGSBAR
Thursday night drinks.
7:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
***at the boat
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH
SHOW
Bar proceeds, including tips, will help keep this boat afloat.
Bring food to barbeque.
Bands courtesy of Todd P. A great line-up:
:: xBxRx
:::: Japanther
::::::
FedEx?
:::::::: Necking
8pm–??
***97 Montrose Ave #1
Montrose Ave @ Leonard St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L-Montrose, G-Broadway, JM-Lorimer,
$8-$12 sliding
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 25
WORK DAY
More getting the boat ready for winter: stripping paint, sanding, painting, repairing a door, screwing in a hatch, working on heating, electrics, various odd jobs. Come play with our power tools. Or come to lie in the hammock, or have a go on the kayak.
2 p.m. – 8 p.m.
***at the boat
UPCOMING
We’re always looking for large spaces to hold benefits. We want to know what films you’d like to see.
S H I P ’ S L O G
This section contains updates on recent projects and status reports of on-going missions and explorations. Check here to find out the status of the webpage and what kind of heater we will ultimately install.
PROGRESS REPORT
A satisfying work day, once again. The gate has been installed. We have electrical outlets. The website has been slightly improved, including a link to the newsletter (www.emptyvesselproject.org).
Lots still to do of course: there is a list on the boat of in-hand projects we can work on; come and take your pick.
IMMINENT, PENDING, AND CONTINUING PROJECTS:
?? - means we could use a volunteer/some help — please get in touch!
Winterizing:
fixing remaining windowframes ??
Fiberglassing/painting/stripping exterior superstructure ??
laying/enclosing insulation/working on walls
bio-diesel furnace
Access:
ramp/dock from new entrance to boat
mural by swoon
Bilge:
finding and fixing small leak
Greening:
green waste management system??
solar power??
wind power??
green insulation??
bicycle/tidal power experiments?? (as workshop?)
Beautification/aesthetics and readying the boat for public use:
chopping and installing stairs - ?? welding
fixing doors - ??
strip and repaint interior and exterior - ??
sanding/refinishing floor - ??
repair of railing on roof
Tech:
web design for www.emptyvesselproject.org
wiki: log.emptyvesselproject.org
archiving
Fundraising:
design T-shirts ??
help plan/run/host an event - ??
have any rich uncles???
W I S H L I S T
ESPRESSO MACHINE WANTED FOR ONE DAY: Do you own one? Could we borrow it for October 22nd? (Rain day October 23rd). We’d like to have a one-day café, to coincide with the art we’re planning to host on the boat (see below), the Gowanus Oktoberfest, and the Gowanus Artists’ Open Studio Weekend.
OPEN CALL: We are taking proposals for projects to host on, in, and around EV for the Gowanus Oktoberfest, October 22. This is a day-long celebration of the Gowanus canal, with marine activities, infotainment, and guided paddle eco-cruises with the Urban Divers and the Gowanus Dredgers. We are most interested in projects that explore themes pertaining to sustainable living in urban landscapes. We would welcome green technology projects, utopian art/architecture/design, performance, and anything that explores the sticky place between theory and practice. We are interested in playful ideas, well realized ideas, and hare-brained schemes. Any questions, or to get an application form, e-mail Tianna Kennedy at
tk@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org.
MATERIALS: We are creating a practice of re-use and salvage. We would like to give your old materials new life. Specifically, we are looking for:
**marine paint
**dock lines
**plywood, and long two-by-fours
**furnace (from the street? call us if you see one)
**water tanks
**a Franklin stove
**mismatched windows (preferably double paned)
**tools (a good circular saw would come in particularly useful at the moment)
**boat repair supplies (fibreglass, epoxy resin, etc.)
**boat accessories (tie lines, cleats, automatic bilge or sump pumps, marine electric lines)
**a lead on used french fry oil
**a sound system (PA and speakers or just your old stereo)
**solar panels
**12V batteries
**a transformer 120V to 12/24V
**plumbing supplies
**a small motor boat
**a dock or dock building materials (50 gallon drums, we got the planks)
**fans
We will haul away any material contributions. Please forward widely.
Contact
tk@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org to donate.
F U N D R A I S I N G
One thing we need is space – lofts, yards, rooftops (while it stays warm), all kinds – to hold benefit parties, concerts, dinners, etc. etc. If you want to host an event, or let us use your space, contact Michael at
mm@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org.
Do you want to design a T-shirt for E.V? Have T-shirts you can donate? We are going to design and make a series of limited-edition T-shirts. If you want to sell them in your store we want that, too.
We have started a $10,000 fundraising campaign to get the EVP through the winter. We have applied for a community grant from Lowe's. We are seeking other sources of official funding as well.
In addition, we are looking for individual donors to keep this project afloat. If you have any suggestions, or are interested in contributing, please contact
mm@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org.
HISTORY
According to one of the theories about the origins of the name Gowanus, the word is derived from the Algonquin word “gowanee,” which means dreamer or sleeper. Other sources claim the word comes from a local chieftain, Gowane, who was either a member of the Mohawks, or, according to others, chief of the Canarsee tribe.
Originally, the area north of Gowanus Bay was a tidal inlet of small creeks. (The Canal is a later extension of one of these creeks further into Brooklyn.) Both Henry Hudson and Giovanni da Verrazano explored the Gowanus in their explorations of the Harbor.
The Dutch later discovered that the brackish water attracted large, succulent oysters, which in the 1600s were exported to Europe by the barrel. (Oysters were recently reintroduced and seem happy, although they are unfit for human consumption.)
H E R O E S
This week’s heroes are already in the annals of heroism; various new admirable feats confirm their status here. Come to EV events, especially work days, to see them in action, and learn from them.
A history of heroes:
Danny, GDM, Captain Jim, Fictional Company, Ed, Michael, Madagascar Institute, Cindy Vanden Bosch, Dirty Fingers, Porkchop, northguineahills, Front Room Gallery, DJ Olive, Steven, Ed and Brooke, Paris 1968, Corey and the Free Store, Christian, Mike Topper, Alisa Blanter, Jesse Green, Leo Raphaely, Peter Field, Jeff Stark, Stephen, Lee Azzazello, Nathan,
ToddP?, Dan and Elizabeth, Trevor, Brian Spinks, Andy.
W H E R E I S T H E B O A T ?
If you are interested in seeing the vessel and/or trying out the hammock, just come down to the Carroll Street bridge over the canal during a Work Day and yell. It's just 4 blocks from the Carroll stop on the F train. For directions by train: www.hopstop.com. The bridge is close to the intersection of Bond and Carroll.
To take a look at a bird’s eye view of the boat’s location, check out the maps.google.com satellite image at
http://tinyurl.com/7eu5q.
Our own entrance from Carroll Street has now been installed. Our new address is 401 Carroll Street (though it won’t work for mail yet).
--
PaulaZ - 21 Nov 2005
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