Leavings

Leavings

Willa Goettling, a geology breaks in half to grow (excerpt), 2023, cyanotype accordion-fold book, French’s true-white speckletone paper, 6 x 40 inches (6 x 5 inches folded). Edition of 50.

 

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

I’m Nora, an urban swimmer, environmental activist, artist, and educator. This year, I’ve been performing research and making art at Coney Island Creek with support from Culture Push and in collaboration with the public and lot of other artists, five of whom have work in this issue of Push/Pull. 

Coney Island Creek is a tidal estuary bordering Gravesend Bay in South Brooklyn / Lenapehoking on the western side of the famous Coney Island (Narrioch) peninsula. Before 1924, Narrioch was an actual island, separated from the rest of Lenapehoking by the creek before parts of it were covered and filled. When it rains, the creek climbs out of the ground and reinserts itself on the landscape. It is adjacent to a beautiful park and framed by the Belt Parkway and famous for its garbage and horseshoe crab population. 

The creek inspired this issue of Push/Pull on the theme of “Leavings” which is a reference to garbage but also to remainders and reminders, found materials, amalgamations, rituals, archives, and traces. 

When I invited Willa, iki, Jordan, Olive, and andrea to contribute to this issue, I told them they could make something new or, in the spirit “leavings,” adapt or reuse material that they had already made or collected. A flawed prompt, I realize now, as there never is a clear difference. 

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Nora Almeida is an urban swimmer, writer, performance artist, educator, and activist based in Brooklyn / Lenapehoking. Her art explores intersections of archiving, environmental investigation, and spatial disruption. Recent public artworks—Last Street End in Gowanus (2021), Land Use Intervention Library (2022), and Open Water (ongoing)—focus on relationships between people and environmentally disturbed, post-industrial waterfront spaces.

Website: https://noraalmeida.com

 
 

PUSH/PULL is an online journal published by Culture Push, a virtual venue that allows us to present a variety of perspectives on civic engagement, social practice, and other issues that need attention. PUSH/PULL helps to situate Fellows and Associated Artists and the work they do within a critical discourse, and acts as a forum for an ongoing dialogue between Culture Push artists, the Culture Push community, and the world at large.