North Brother Reterritorialization (New York, USA, 2009-2010)
Lech Szporer/Sanctuary of Hope, Ridgewood Pews in Yonkers Greenhouse, New York, USA, 2009, photographic print (limited edition)
Reterritorializations of a Deterritorialized Church (New York, USA, 2009-2010)
A series of poetic outbursts, entropic unravelings, and allegorical displacements form these conceptual reterritorializations. Following the closure of the Sanctuary of Hope, three key elements of the deterritorialized church (the mailbox, the awning, and the lease) were relocated to the historic Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, a decommissioned 19th century hospital complex for quarantinable diseases (typhoid, small pox, tuberculosis, and polio) turned bird sanctuary (for herons and other wading shorebirds) in New York City’s East River.
Lech Szporer, Map Depicting The Location Of North Brother Island
Placing of the Sanctuary of Hope Mailbox (New York, USA, 2009)
Our first expedition to North Brother Island involved the relocation of the Sanctuary of Hope Mailbox. Epoxy resin was used to fasten the mailbox onto the facade of the historic Riverside Hospital.
Lech Szporer/Sanctuary of Hope, Sanctuary of Hope Mailbox Installed Beside The Entrance of Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, New York, USA, 2009, photographic print (limited edition)
Lech Szporer/Sanctuary of Hope, Sanctuary of Hope Awning Installed Over The Entrance of Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, New York, USA, 2009, photographic print (limited edition)
Placing of the Sanctuary of Hope Awning (New York, USA, 2010)
Our second expedition to North Brother Island involved the relocation of the central node of the Sanctuary of Hope Awning. The awning was bolted above the entrance to the historic Riverside Hospital.
Lech Szporer/Sanctuary of Hope, Sanctuary of Hope Awning Installed Over The Entrance of Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, New York, USA, 2009, photographic print (limited edition)
Lech Szporer/Sanctuary of Hope, Sanctuary of Hope Awning Installed Over The Entrance of Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, New York, USA, 2009, photographic print (limited edition)
Burial of the Sanctuary of Hope Lease (New York, USA, 2010)
During our second expedition, in order to conceptually annex North Brother Island, we also buried the original Sanctuary of Hope Lease in a secret location on the island itself. After which we camped out over night and burned salvaged church organ pipes in ceremonial fashion.
Lech Szporer/Sanctuary of Hope, Sanctuary of Hope North Brother Island Lease Burial, New York, USA, 2009, photographic print
Photographs of North Brother Island (New York, USA, 2010)
Below are series of photographs taken from North Brother Island, a decommissioned 19th century hospital complex for quarantinable diseases turned bird sanctuary in New York City’s East River.
Acknowledgments: This project was done in collaboration with Matthew Blair and Andrew Wingert.