THE KITCHEN PRESENTS ASSEMBLY, JUNE 15-30

Over three weekends this month, June 15­­-30, The Kitchen's spaces will be stripped of their defining uses as gallery, theater, and office. Each floor will be emptied then activated sequentially by musicians, dancers, performance artists, and DJs using custom sound and video systems. Titled ASSEMBLY, this installation and series of performances promote thinking about access and collectivity, recognizing how sound and the structures of certain spaces may yet lend themselves to nuanced and rich cultural exchange. By recasting the use of The Kitchen's building to generate these ideas among artists and audiences, The Kitchen-one of the very oldest non-profit arts organization in a rapidly changing landscape of New York-also prompts new considerations of how institutions should represent, and be shaped by, their publics in the present day.ASSEMBLY, organized by Kevin Beasley, and Lumi Tan, Tim Griffin and Nicole Kaack from The Kitchen, features performances from participating artists Suzi Analogue, King Britt presents Moksha Black, Richard Kennedy, HPrizm, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Lafawndah, Mhysa, Jason Moran, NAR, Angie Pittman, stud1nt, Logan Takahashi, David Thomson, Wetware, whoisskitzo, and Pamela Z.

For Assembly, Kevin Beasley will create each custom sound and video systems for three floors at The Kitchen which, across three weekends, will become the platforms for musicians, dancers, performance artists, and DJs-artists who have worked with The Kitchen over decades, as well as those new to the space. For instance, veteran Kitchen artist, choreographer David Thomson, will perform Body of work, which he refers to as "a palimpsest. A meditation on memory, identities, and boundaries. A marking of time on the body of a transitional space." Audiences will experience vastly divergent performances as they travel through the building, encountering varying levels of intimacy and mediation.

As both the art world and the neighborhood surrounding The Kitchen have changed drastically since the organization's move to 519 W. 19th Street in Chelsea in 1986, this return of the space to a blank architectural slate offers a rare opportunity for perspective-gathering and self-reflection-producing ideas that will carry into The Kitchen's future. These regenerative considerations will be brought about not through sponsoring inactive contemplation, but rather by offering artists a liberatory framework whose definition arises through use. Across three celebratory weekends, ASSEMBLY will break down the conventions of viewership that frequently shape our experience of live performance and exhibition.

Performances (at The Kitchen, 512 W 19th St, New York) are priced affordably at $10/general admission, $8/members, and are free for children under 18.

ASSEMBLY will take place June 15-June 30, at The Kitchen, 512 W 19th St, New York. Please note all of these performances will be standing room only. The Kitchen is a wheelchair accessible location with ramp and elevator access to all public spaces. Service animals are welcome. ADA compliant restrooms are available on floors 1 and 2, and all bathrooms are gender inclusive. If you require specific access or accommodations or have questions, please email boxoffice@thekitchen.org or call 212-255-5793 x 11.

Assembly Performance Schedule

Saturday, June 15, 6:30pm-Suzi Analogue, Pamela Z
Sunday, June 16, 4pm-King Britt presents Moksha Black, Richard Kennedy

Saturday, June 22, 6:30pm-Mhysa, David Thomson, whoisskitzo
Sunday, June 23, 4pm-HPrizm, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, stud1nt

Saturday, June 29, 6:30pm-Lafawndah, NAR, Angie Pittman
Sunday, June 30, 4pm-Jason Moran, Logan Takahashi, Wetware

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