Six Foot Platform returns with art residencies in Dumbo

With its perfectly framed viewpoint of the Manhattan Bridge, Dumbo's Washington Street between Front and Water Streets is already a popular Brooklyn attraction, and this summer it's getting even more photogenic thanks to the return of the Six Foot Platform, a series of outdoor art residencies popping up this summer. 

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Showcasing experimental and performance works of six Brooklyn-based artists chosen by a panel, the third iteration of the series will run take over the intersection every Sunday this summer from July 15 to August 19, from noon to 6pm, presented by the Dumbo Improvement District in partnership with Brooklyn Arts Council. The artists will be afforded full-day residencies on a 6-by-6–foot platform on Washington Street to show off their creations, which target topics as varied as immigrant life and waste production. 

“This group of artists is really showing the diversity of Brooklyn's creative scene right now. We are thrilled to be presenting their work this summer,” said Alexandria Sica, President of the Dumbo Improvement District.

The artworks and performances are free to view but, due to the outdoor nature of the series, are obviously weather-dependent. In the event of inclement weather, head to the @Dumbo_Brooklyn Instagram page where the team will announce contingency plans.

Check out the full Six Foot Platform 2023 calendar below, as well as provided descriptions of the six residencies and their featured works, and a video from a previous edition of the series. 

SATURDAY, JULY 15
MELISSA DIAZ | UNTITLED
This interactive installation, conceived by artist and art therapist, Melissa Diaz, welcomes visitors to collaborate in creating a living sculpture. The piece welcomes the consideration of space, safe space, public space, inner space, and how creativity can contribute to a sense of well-being. Simple, accessible materials and upcycled items will be offered for visitors to weave into, tie on, and attach to the growing sculptural form. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about mindful art-making, meet an art therapist, and try art-making that is implicitly therapeutic. By highlighting creativity as a source of wellness, joy, and community care, Diaz hopes to promote inclusion in art-making and the de-stigmatization of mental health support.

SATURDAY, JULY 22
TIANDING HE | HOW I DISAPPEARED
Taking inspiration from Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, Asian immigrant artists conjure an ever-changing cityscape, evoking memories and desires built from their unique experiences and personal perspectives. From the intimate to the grand, from the physical to the digital, this multimedia object-performance project explores the poetic intricacies of urban life; where dreams are nurtured and sometimes shattered and features experimental music, AR puppetry, and interactive installations.

SATURDAY, JULY 29
YOU & I (ALLIE MAROTTA AND FERNANDO MOYA DELGADO | INSIDE THE BOX
inside the box is a participatory experience where audience members are asked, “If anything could be on this platform, what would you like it to be?” and then take part in a live devising process to create a new performance piece.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5
ANNA ROBERTS GEVALT | DUMBO SICK CENTER
DUMBO Sick Center is a pop-up sick cultural center—an experimental office offering resources, sick history, and songs. The project invites the audience to imagine a world where sick wisdom is honored and accessible, and the sick receive the care they need.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12
MAUREEN CATBAGEN | ABANG-GUARD STREET MUSEUM
Abang-guard Street Museum is a participatory platform that enables the public to share their inner voice and creative expression via gallery format. Part workshop, part art space, Abang-guard will host and feature each piece made by the public. The platform museum provides an opportunity to showcase and uplift a diversity of voices while questioning what constitutes art and who can be an artist. Through democratic disruption, Abang-guard Street Museum empowers creativity while opening a wider field of access and authorship to the cultural production of value.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
WEIYUN CHEN & SUPATIDA SUTIRATANA FOR MIDNIGHT PROJECT | SUPERTRASH
The issue of waste management has become a global concern, and the world's waste production is increasing at an alarming rate. To address this issue, the SUPERTRASH project aims to create awareness about the importance of recycling waste and making trash valuable. The audience will actively participate in the exhibition by bringing in their own pieces of trash or using trash collected by the artist through different industries to create their own unique characters, joining in the creative and fun exploration of sustainability.