New York, New Music: 1980–1986
Curated by Sean Corcoran; Design Team: Xiaoxiao Guo, Francesca Campanella, Johanna Vargas; Photographs courtesy of Brad Farwell and Asya Gorovits Press Quote: “’New York, New Music’ chronicles a variety of genres, including rap, jazz, salsa and dance music, but the videos in the exhibition emphasize post-punk, the gnarled, joyously uncommercial cousin of new wave that happens to be having a moment.” - NY Times
During the early 1980s, New York experienced a community-driven musical renaissance. A wide range of music—from punk to pop to hip-hop to salsa to jazz—stretched across clubs and bars, theaters, parks, and art spaces. This 3000 sqft exhibition included 50 videos, 300 objects, and a video lounge to tell the story. To recreate the dynamic look and feel of this era, we used projection screens held by metal scaffolding, tube-TV covers to house in-gallery videos, and a wood-paneled area to denote the lounge, all a homage to the 1980s.