Facundo Newbery's '38 46' 49" N 075 07' 09"" is part of Brave Brooklyn

Brave Brooklyn is an art exhibit and auction to benefit the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) and Trust Art projects supported by OSA. Brave Brooklyn will be open to the public December 4-11.

Along with various other works, including that of pre-eminent sculptor Richard Serra and mixed-media artist Fred Tomaselli, this exhibition features the artwork of Trust Art artists proposing new public art projects in collaboration with OSA.

To help fundraise for Facundo's upcoming public artwork, Found Home, Trust Art and OSA are auctioning this piece by Facundo:

38 46' 49" N 075 07' 09"  2001. acrylic and silkscreen on canvas 48" x 60"

When you move something out of its domain, it expands the potential of transformation occurring. As a self-described migrant, Newbery considers the painting to be more than merely materials assembled, although the canvas itself was found. Rather the piece is the outline of something that is there, shadows created by streetlights and still objects located at the titular coordinates. It is a transformational work, one that got new life by being somewhere else, juxtaposed to the model of the Found Home which is also slated to be reimagined, rebuild, and recontextualized.

Go to eBay to bid on this piece.  The starting bid is $800 and the auction closes on December 11 at 9pm (EST).

The work is on view until December 11 at 30 Dobbins Street in Williamsburg.  There is a closing reception open to the public on December 11, 6-9pm.  Join us if you are in Brooklyn!

Other artists in this exhibit include: Bradley Brown, James Case, Ryan Goolsby, Weston Woolly, Emily Goode, Suzanne Zwicky, Gidalya Tashman, Karl Metz, Adam Taye, Chris Burnside, James Woodward, Robbert Jan de Oude, Sam Martineau, Lizzy Wezler, Matt Jones, Kristin Deirup, Jesse Witkin, Kris Graves, Nathan Koch, and Molly Surno.

More info at bravebrooklyn.com

Homebuilding Begins with a Boat

Click to see the album

The first major found object in Facundo Newbewry's project turned out to be a boat! Check out some family photos of the  boat, found in a shipyard in Conneticut. Let us know if you want to come and check it out, and if you find anything that you think can make it a home.  

Vegetable-powered Schoolbus

Hi everyone:

Here is an update of what is going with my project.   We applied in partnership with OSA last week for the DOT's Urban Art Program. Being in partnership with OSA is great!   If the application is approved, this is huge; really HUGE .  The lot is at 101 South 5th street in Brooklyn, next block from my home, allowing me to dedicate most of my time to the project, and close to my family and environment adding a counterpoint to the migratory concept of the project.     

Also this week ,i ran into Clyde, one of the Williamsburg classic old timers . Ever since i've been in in this part of the world (about 10 years) I belive I saw Clyde eating a sandwich maybe once. The other times he  was experimenting on how to tun auctioned vehicles green and energy efficient.    Anyway, he offered me his small school bus, already converted to run on vegetable oil and with wheel chair lift for 1000 bucks!!!   This is a  great opportunity:   1) In the Brooklyn part of the project, the bus with the lift would help load heavy stuff and bring to the containers; this is an essential part of the project;  2) It also fits inside the container, so it can be shipped to the Dominican Republic as planned.  

So far there is around $500 raised for the project  - not enough to buy the bus, though enough to feel that a few more of your contributions would make it possible.  Even a dollar helps!   :)   So please feel free to pitch in.  Also, I'd like to ask you to spread the word, and  thank you very much to all of you who, in anyway contributed to this art project.  

Peace,

Facundo

Google Sketchup Model of Recycled Home

Heavy furniture

These lamps and chairs consist mostly of discarded car parts.   I used low voltage incandescent bulbs when I built them in the 90's; now there are alternatives like high powered LEDs that use even lower voltage and  are significantly smaller.   

Sources and Funnels

I can't help to think how all this research I've been doing can benefit rural communities in many countries, along with the immensity of things that go to landfills, either for lack of time, space, creativity, or god knows what. I want to show you a few things that will hopefully blow your mind: biogas, wind power, biodiesel, and free water. For insulation, I have my own story.

When i lived in Paris, my house was incredibly cold in wintertime because the concrete of the floor stretched all the way out to the yard bringing the cold right in. I used to burn 3 wood pallets a day to keep warm. But one Christmas, when cell phones became super popular, and everyone got one from Santa, my wife Lia and I collected all the styrofoam we found from discarded packaging, applied it to the concrete, and layed a wood floor that I picked up from a demolition site a few kilometers away. It was phenomenal! I went down from burning three pallets a day to less than one. After that year, I was finally able to just wear a shirt at home. Check out the some more pictures below of our home in Paris in the mid-nineties.

Inspiration Video

Some of you may be parents and surely understand the things that we are willing to endure and sacrifice for the well being of our children. Some of us migrate out of pure curiosity or adventure and we do it with an informed decision. Others do it out of necessity in search of basic commodities: a kitchen light, a radio, or a gas stove. They go to cities assuming that all is going to be within reach, and that they will get a little money and make it there. Soon, for a lot of them, the city simply sucks the little money they have out of their pocket and they end up spending weeks on the streets. If they are lucky, they find a job and a house to live. But a lot of them end up in slums trapped in an endless circle of misfortunes.

Fabio Rosa has a great initiative that seems to fit like a glove on a hand. In the following video we can see how simple ideas can keep families from falling apart, and even bring them back together. As you can see on my statement, I found great inspiration in his action. The best way to stop a problem is to prevent it.

Local Shipping Containers

This is an example of how this project should start. Of course these containers would have to pass an inspection for overseas shipping before being purchased.  

The Search For A Suitable Windmill Generator

Armed with some internet research from sites like Instructables, Facundo has begun the search for old DC motors that can be re-purposed to generate electricity as wind turbines. This windmill will eventually power the house that will be constructed entirely from recycled objects.

Since it is a central mission of this project to spread the knowledge of energy independence using recycled materials, Facundo is looking for somewhat ubiquitous motors that are easily found and widely proliferated. If you have any such motors you would be willing to donate to the project, please contact us at info (at) trustart.org

A Lot of Things Can Be Re-used