Poly Pockets
Installation
May 13-19, 2023
Goethe-Institut Boston
Inspired by the new street uses that emerged during the pandemic, Poly Pockets is a public art installation in the form of a series of reconfigurable tent structures.
During the pandemic, buildings turned inside out. Things that used to happen inside moved into the street. The tent became the enclosure of choice for this new zone, but it has been used almost exclusively for dining. Poly Pockets is a set of modifications made to generic tent materials to expand what the street tent can host and what is legally permitted and culturally desired within the street. A roll of poly sheeting is subdivided and sewn into pockets that take on versatile roles when stuffed with whatever is on hand. Sand or crushed aggregate to make weighted pockets. Insulation to make thermal mass bodies. Soft stuffing to make comfy pads for resting. Sheet material to make rigid planes. Or mostly anything else. Through cutting, stitching, attaching, and filling, the building enclosure is deconstructed into pockets with special talents that can be recombined and linked together into different formats, from piles to lean-to’s to columns to [ ].
poly won't you won't you
Displayed alongside these assemblages will be a new video piece starring the pockets, by the performer, digital artist, and clown Carlos Sanchez. Performed through the lens of the eponymous Polly Pockets, "poly won't you won't you" is an absurdist clown short that tests the limits of the pocket's immaterial capacity.
Pockets Opening
Saturday, May 13, 6-8 PM
Join us for Poly Pocket's big debut. Residents Aaron Powers and Strat Coffman will introduce Poly, while visitors toss around, drag, and crawl under the pocket assemblages, to the sounds of a dj set about holding and being held. Munch on hot pockets and empanadas while laying on some pocket piles and watching the debut of the pocket video performance, poly won't you won't you. Together we'll give new life to Poly.
Pockets Listening Session
Tuesday, May 16, 7-9 PM
Relax among the pocket structures and piles, and listen to live ambient sounds created by local artists.
Game Night with Pockets
Friday, May 19, 6-8 PM
Enjoy an evening of game playing with our German Game Guru Stefan Sadecki amid a backdrop of pockets.