The Newcomers

As part of Performa 17, Alex Schweder +  Ward Shelley presented The Newcomers, a 10 day architectural performance located at the historically significant 28 Liberty in Lower Manhattan From November 10-19 2017. Joined by Lena Kouvela and Sarah Burns, the group occupied a structure without leaving it. On the first day, the group installed 10 flagged boxes filled with food and other supplies across the vast plaza and then built a house at the first box to sleep in for the night. When they woke up the next morning, they took the house apart and used those materials to form a bridge allowing them to reach the next cache of rations. Once there they dismantled the back of the bridge to improvise a new shelter for the evening. Each day they repeated this process until they reached the other end of the plaza approximately 200 feet away. Throughout the performance, the group never touched the ground and spoke with visitors throughout. This project was generously supported by both B&O Play and Performa 17.