metablog

The McCarren Pool in Williamsburg had been in disuse for many decades. In 2005, it was used by artist Noemie LaFrance as a performance space. The pool/site is currently undergoing a transformation and is seeking submissions/proposals for reinterpretation.

Seems to me that the whole process should be an open-source kind of process. The community should vote, the community should submit, the community should participate. The space should be dictated by the community, and there should be openings built throughout the decision process.

THE PROPOSAL
From http://sensproduction.org/current/pool2.php

Our intention is to reopen the McCarren Park Pool site permanently to the public by summer of 2007 with ongoing festivities through out the year. The McCarren Park Pool would become a facility to present and promote local and international, emerging and established artists, combined with an exciting range of recreational activities and educational programs for all.

It will give community members a way to develop and manage their own activities and programs within the facility for all to participate. The organization’s programming and proposed infrastructure is non-unilateral. A network of partnering institutions are to use the space and generate programs for it, gathering the effort of many NYC groups and organizations such as universities, cultural institutions or community groups in need of an outdoor open space.

We envision that the entire neighborhood will join to celebrate the space’s new interim purpose and future and enjoy activities that are for everyone. Please join our efforts in creating a space for originality and diversity.