Ben Altman’s installation runs until March 28
In conjunction with Peekskill Project V, the Field Library Gallery will present Ben Altman: Say Peekskill. The show emphasizes the artist’s work with photography, installation and sound. The library will hold an opening reception on Saturday, Jan. 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. and an artist’s talk with Altman on Sunday, Jan. 13, from 2 to 3 p.m. The exhibit will be on display Jan. 12 to March 28.
Invited to submit a proposal for Peekskill Project V, Altman was intrigued by the town: a compact but diverse community, a post-industrial town with a long, sometimes difficult history, and a vibrant arts community. He decided to ask residents about living in Peekskill.
Altman recorded audio interviews with residents mostly encountered at random in parks, downtown and on residential streets, and he took a photograph of each participant or group. His installation includes the portraits and the varied voices of these individuals, heard separately but also in an ever-changing mix. Residents visiting the exhibit are invited to add to the conversation.
As an immigrant who did not entirely belong in his native England, Altman often interrogates ideas of “home.” His work ranges from using himself and his home in role-play of fraught political situations, to seeking social and emotional traces inscribed in his native country. He uses photographs, video, sound and installation.
Altman took a winding road to being an artist, including towing icebergs, professional sailboat racing, and commercial photography. He has exhibited recently in Syracuse, Newark and Ithaca, as well as Collaborative Concepts’ The Farm Project at Saunders Farm, Garrison. For more information, visit the Say Peekskill webpage at benaltman.net.
The Field Library Gallery is located on the upper, mezzanine level of the adult reading rooms, and viewing hours are the same as the Field Library open hours. The Field Library is located at 4 Nelson Ave., Peekskill, and is wheelchair-accessible. For further information please call Sibyl Canaan, library director at 914-737-7110, or email [email protected] or visit the library’s website, peekskill.org.
