E M P T Y | V E S S E L | P R O J E C T | N E W S # 36 | MAY . 03 . 06
We have started a Sunday afternoon Russian class on EV's roofdeck. We like it. If you would like to join it, contact
pz@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org. (See below.)
Starting in June we will also be offering French. Contact
dylan@giganticartspaceREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.com if you are interested. A time will be decided upon by the group.
Do you have a skill you would like to share? Anything is more fun to learn on the water! Want to teach a class or run a workshop? Contact
pz@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org. All classes are by donation and all proceeds go directly to the instructor/facilitator.
Our New Hours:
Saturday 2-8p
Sunday, 12-6p
Monday 4-10p
Come down to borrow the kayak, hang out in the hammock, work on a wall and meet your fellow crew members.
U P C O M I N G
SUNDAY, MAY 7
Work Day/Open Boat
1-6pm
**at the boat
SUNDAY, MAY 7
Beginning Russian Conversation Class
5-6p
RSVP:pz@emptyvesselproject.org
**at the boat
SUNDAY, MAY 7
MAG Fundraiser
From the organizers:
"We are having a boat party fundraiser for our charity bicycle ride from London to Paris! The bicycle ride is for MAG (www.mag.org.uk), a UK-based organisation which funds land mine removal. The ride is from London to Paris (300 km) in three days. MAG is active all over the developing world, especially in conflict-affected areas like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan. They have been funding mine removal and other humanitarian projects since the late 80s, and were co-laureates of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
This organisation is relatively small and shies away from costly bureaucracy. The money raised will go to objectives like mine risk education, or hiring and training locals to remove land mines. Cleared areas then become usable for farming, creating roads, or building schools. Sunday, May 7th, 5 pm until someone falls off the boat into the Gowanus Canal. Party goes later if we can pull them out.
Sliding scale donation of $5 - $15 includes two drinks, with 3 dollar ones thereafter."
5p-?
**at the boat
MONDAYS in JUNE and JULY
Haiti's Hades Harlequin's Hymns
**at the boat
Now that spring is here we can't imagine anywhere better to be than on the bucolic waters of the Gowanus Canal. We are inviting you and your group to take advantage of our boat - a 63' ex-US Navy rescue boat with a capacity of about 50 people. We are establishing regular hours Saturday - Monday. Contact
pz@emptyvesselprojectREMOVEANTISPAMMEASURE.org to schedule and/or share ideas. This is a free venue in beautiful surroundings. All that we ask is that you don't set her adrift.
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
On Wednesday morning at 5.30am one of New York City's oldest waterfront relics was consumed by a 10 alarm fire that continued to burn for over 24 hours. As I write this, firemen are still spraying water onto the remains of the American Manufacturing Company and the Greenpoint Terminal Market at the intersection of West and Noble Streets.
The Greenpoint Terminal Market occupied the site of the Continental Iron Works where the USS Monitor was assembled and launched in 1862, booming the death knell of wooden fighting ships.
The American Manufacturing Company, once an enormous complex producing rope and jute bags, operated here from 1890 to the 1970s. Expansion of the plant with construction of additional buildings in 1 898 was credited with adding "much to the commercial aspect of the (quiet residential) neighborhood." By the turn of the century, it employed more people than any other business in Brooklyn. It was also the largest manufacturer of its kind in the world.
The Company did not allow anyone to enter its grounds unless an employee or on specific business. Once inside, the lucky visitor would find a maze of machinery and entertainments. The owners of the company installed a merry-go-round, an indoor roller skating rink (with 100 pairs of skates available) and a seasonal outdoor swimming tank (suits also provided) for the exclusive use of their employees. Charles J. Norris, the mill manager in 1901 was quoted in the Brooklyn Eagle (July 18, 1901) as follows: "We are not philanthropists, but we employ a great many people and we feel that the best results can be obtained from employees when they can be made contented, and that is what we are trying to do."
The American Manufacturing Company moved its operations to Pennsylvania in the 1970s. For a time, the vacant buildings it left behind were used as a way-station for donated clothing coming to New York City Salvation Army stores. This operation was discontinued as all shipping and industry left Greenpoint in the shift of the neighborhood back to its residential roots.
Visiting the building in 2005, I entered through a hole in a rusted out piece of sheet metal welded over a ground-floor door and was plunged into darkness despite the bright sun just outside. I found that nature was claiming it incrementally. Saplings grew out of the gears of rope-making machines. An entire football field sized floor of colorful vintage garb had been covered over with bright green mold. The floors and ceilings had capsized and collapsed, creating channels for tiny gurgling waterfalls. Wandering through in the unexpected silence, I could still hear the sounds of the living factory. Mixed with the wind in the leaves and the hush of footsteps on soft ground, were the sounds of laughter, of machines twisting jute, of young girls chanting on a picket line demanding increased wages, of bones crushed in carelessness, of roller skates on a parquet floor...
Thanks to the Brooklyn Public Library for archiving every issue of the Brooklyn Eagle, published daily 1841-1902.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com
S H I P ’ S L O G
These walls sure make a great backdrop! Come help us finish them up.
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
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
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: 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
Erica Freas (Thanks for a great kick off into spring!)
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 Lending 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.
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