HERE IN JAMAICA, 2016: A social practice artwork

Nicolás Dumit Dumit Estévez Raful invites the public to submit an action to his open call for evidence of moments in which life and art come together in Jamaica, Queens. A selection of the submissions will be included in an online archive on No Longer Empty’s website as part of Nicolás’s project HERE IN JAMAICA for JAMECO EXCHANGE. Please click here to read the open call and submit your entry. APPLICATION DEADLINE is September 30, 2016.

In Life as Material for Art & Vice Versa, artist Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful used texts, photographs previous public workshops to serve as an instructional manual for residents to develop performances and actions in Queens. Everyday subjects of exploration may include dpping, among others. A selection of the documentation of actions will be included in an online presentation and archive on Longer Empty’s website.

HERE IN JAMAICA is held in conjunction with Once Upon A Place, a five-part public engagement series that presents an arts-based oral history model expanding upon the town hall panel format. Held in conjunction with Jameco Exchange, Once Upon a a Place explores the idea of public engagement arranged at the intersection of diverse audiences and everyday places. Reflecting on Jamaica’s identity as one of the world's most ethnically diverse places, and a multi-modal transportation hub, Once Upon a Place and the exhibition Jameco Exchange work in tandem to create community conversations within the context of a larger dialogue about a moment of social change sweeping across Jamaica and New York City.

The series featured a public event titled Once Upon A Place Panel II on Saturday, July 9, in which artists Sol Aramendi, Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani and Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful presented research gathered and projects created in collaboration with community participants. For details and updates, click here.

Image: Natalia de Campos, SOFLOWERS (ritual), 2016. Performance at the Chapel of the Sisters in Jamaica, Queens, on the occasion of the Once Upon A Place Panel II. Photo: Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful.