E M P T Y | V E S S E L | P R O J E C T | N E W S # 28 | FEB . 27 . 06
Empty Vessel Project is proud to host an Incident Report w/ Sam Gould and Anthony Marcellini this Monday at 7pm
Sam Gould is a friend and co-conspirator working as part of a Portland-based collective called Red76. We met Sam in a makeshift bar constructed entirely out of discarded shipping palettes in Zagreb, Croatia where he told great tales of tiny cities. He is in New York unveiling an exhibition of The Museum on the Heart on Your Sleeve. The exhibition is part of the book/exhibition, Reshuffle: Notions of an Itinerant Museum. It includes several Incident Reports - stories told where they happened by the people they happened to.
Here is what Sam has to say about the evening:
"What events must unfold wherein you might find yourself floating down the Gowanus Canal in an inflatable dingy drinking 40oz’s of beer? Join us for a tale of Puerto Rican butcher shops, getting caught in one of the most torrential rain storms in recent memory, and living on ships on one of the worlds most polluted waterways in one of the worlds most populated cities.
contact info: www.red76.com,
ask@red76REMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.com, 1.888.212.5652.
(Bring stuff to barbecue, and beverages to drink.)"
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Our new geography (see Where Is The Boat Now, below) has alleviated the pressure of rent from the Empty Vessel Project's budget. Now we just need to pay off our insurance for the remainder of 2006. Can you help us?
Please donate anything you can through
PayPal? at our website at
http://log.emptyvesselproject.org or by clicking here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=info%40emptyvesselproject%2eorg&item_name=Empty%20Vessel%20Project&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8
U P C O M I N G
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Incident Report with Sam Gould
7pm, free, bring your own food for the (chilly)
BarB?
**at the boat, West side of 1st Street at the Gowanus Canal
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
Work Day
Walls and boards.
Generators and Heating Systems.
1-6pm
**at the boat, West side of 1st Street at the Gowanus Canal
SOON
The Sea Hag Ball
**transported to the East Williamsburg Industrial Park
We are accepting proposals for events and collaborations.
Email
as@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org to discuss your wintery watery scheme.
C H E C K T H I S O U T
This section is dedicated to work elsewhere congruous with the EVP's vision. We will occasionally direct your attention to the work of our fellow travelers.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
NATURE AND THE CITY: a conference in urban ecology at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus
When most people think of nature in New York, they rarely think of
animals other than familiar creatures like rats, pigeons, squirrels,
and cockroaches. However, an astounding array of wildlife - both
plants and animals-- hangs on in the big city. Urban ecology is an
emerging field of research that promotes stewardship of healthy
ecosystems. Urban ecology helps residents understand nature in their
community and provides tools for protecting local environment.
718-488-1209
biology@brooklyn.liuREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.edu
http://www.wildmetro.org/
W H E R E I S T H E B O A T N O W ?
Access to the Empty Vessel is from the west side of 1st Street, one block south of the Carroll Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal.
To take a look at a bird’s eye view of the boat’s location, check out
http://maps.google.com satellite image at
http://tinyurl.com/ba9cd
For directions by train:
http://www.hopstop.com. We are 3 blocks
from the Carroll Street Stop on the F and G trains.
H I S T O R Y
A NEW INVENTED MACHINE
The first practical steam engine was built in Britain by Thomas Newcomen in 1714 to pump water out of British coal mines. Its boiler, working beam and much else were built out of timbre. It was set in stone foundations. No one in his right mind would consider putting one on a boat.
But in 1737 Jonathan Hulls was granted a patent by His Majesty the King of England for the idea of mounting such an engine in a boat and harnessing it to a rudimentary stern paddle wheel through a poorly described system of ropes, pulleys and paddles. The drawing accompanying his patent for "A New-Invented Machine for Carrying Vessels or Ships Out of, or Into any Harbour, Port, or River, against Wind and Tide, or in a Calm" is of a floating collecting of huge fantastical gears attached to the stern of an unmanned wooden-hulled boat with a tiny chimney at its center emitting a delicate little cloud.
There is no evidence that such a vessel was ever built.
The first steam-powered towing vessel, the Charlotte Dundas, was built 63 years later to tow coal ships through Scotland's canals in 1801. The ship was deemed unusable by the canal owners due to the waterwheel's destructive erosion of the canals. Robert Fulton was present at the trial of the Charlotte Dundas and went on to build the first successful steamship in 1807.
For more on the history of tugboats, check out George Matteson's beautiful book "Tugboats of New York: an illustrated history" on New York University Press.
S H I P ’ S L O G
The port-side wall is finished - beautifully sided with ancient floorboards. On to the starboard!
For updates on ongoing projects, check out our TWiki at
http://log.emptyvesselproject.org. Advice is always appreciated. Don’t be shy. Please post.
F U N D R A I S I N G
The Sea Hag Ball lives! We have had a space that will fit 1,000 guests generously offered to us for a weekend date in the last week in March or the first week in April. Watch this space for updates. Email
pz@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org with ideas for bands, decorations, posters, performances, etc. We will be having an open meeting next week to organize the troops. Watch this space for date, time and place.
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Grants grants grants.
We have found several that would be perfect for the Empty Vessel Project. We need some help getting them written, formatted and turned in before their deadlines. Are you a grantwriting champion? Or just want practice and resume padding? Want to hang out with the EV crew over spiked coffee? Get in touch. We really need your help as soon as possible. Email
pz@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org.
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You can make a financial contribution to the EVP on our website at
http://log.emptyvesselproject.org or by clicking here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=info%40emptyvesselproject%2eorg&item_name=Empty%20Vessel%20Project&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8
Thanks to the Madagascar Institute, we have a 501c(3) Non-Profit number we can provide you for your contribution.
Give to the Empty Vessel Project = save on your taxes.
W I S H L I S T
DOCUMENT THIS: We know that the EVP is a documentary waiting to happen. There is drama. And chaos. And love. And resolutions. We are inviting proposals from anyone with the skills, time and inclination to document this. Email
tk@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org for more info.
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: Locks and chains, 2 steel drums (ASAP), fire extinguishers, 10 gallon plastic buckets with lids, wet/dry vac, 50,000 –100,000 BTU oil or gas burning boiler OR a diesel stove, solar panels, 12V batteries, pressed tin, another small boat (canoe, kayak, motor), small fans, 1/2" or 3/4" plywood (about 12'x 42'), handles, hooks, and small cleats.
We will haul away any material contributions. Please forward widely. Contact
tk@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org to donate.
MATERIAL DONATIONS:
We are partnering with companies that have ecologically friendly materials and getting material contributions to the Empty Vessel Project.
BuildItGreen? (www.bignyc.org), a salvaged building materials warehouse in Astoria, has contributed some great slotted floorboards to face the cabin walls.
Mojo Fine Art Moving has been very generous with their trucks.
Do you know a company that might be interested in showcasing their products on EV? Contact
pz@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org.
H E R O E S
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 Azzarello, Nathan,
ToddP?, Dan and Elizabeth, Trevor, Brian Spinks, Andy Baker, Shellshag (Jen and Shell), Urban Stitch (Alessandro and William), Paul Ford, Bez, Brian, Alex Lucas, Leah Beeferman, Brent Arnould, The Daniel Carter Quartet, Estee Pierce, Alison Prete, Jason Enghert, Rosie Weinberg, Johns Manville, Black Label Bike Club, New York Harbor School, Eric Forman, Gregory Zaslavsky, Leslie Stem, Andres Colapinto, Anney Fresh, Justin Green,
BuildItGreen?, Mojo Fine Art Moving, Dave Sharps, David & Sharon Lefkowitz Hannah Marcus, Ruban, Cameron Hull, Bill Wasik, Alyssa Abeta & Zeb Stewart of Union Pool, Dylan Gauthier, Arnie at the Puppet Len
ding Library, Josh Wienstien, Dept. of Transportation Bridge operators, The Doctor
W H A T I S T H I S ?
The Empty Vessel Project is an action, art, and sustainability experiment. We salvaged EV, a WWII rescue boat, to create a space for re-imagining the post-industrial urban environment. We are a non-profit, volunteer-run organization and encourage participation on all levels.
EV is moored on Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal. The boat is our first project. We invite you to come join us on board to work and play.
We host work parties, movie nights, seminars, concerts, dinners, and workshops. The Empty Vessel is available to realize your dreams and schemes.
This newsletter is your guide. It appears in your in box each week, listing events and tracking changes. Can it be better? Contact
pz@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org with suggestions.
--
PaulaZ - 27 Feb 2006
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