Three Disruptive Installations at Philadelphia Artist-Run Spaces Explore Surveillance, Sound, and Political Memory

From March 3 to April 23, 2017, three exhibitions were held at 319 North 11th Street in Philadelphia, featuring the works of Stephanie Bursese, Yvette Brackman, and Patrick McCaughy. Bursese presented an installation titled 'to skip, to gloss,' which included a wall dividing the entrance, photographs of her wall demolition, and a dark space filled with cotton swabs. Brackman's piece, 'Underneath Father America's Closed Eyelids Lies Russia,' incorporated newsprint and a video inspired by Russian Constructivism, delving into her family's trauma from the Holocaust and Gulag. McCaughy’s 'The turbid tides' offered an immersive experience with plaster shapes, video projections, and sound, inviting the audience into a tumultuous environment. Each artist pushed the boundaries of viewer expectations through their themes.