If you were in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 1990’s, you might have been lucky enough to witness (or be in) the amazing performances of the Immersionist movement. They took place in and among the old factory buildings, particularly on the South Side, which has now been turned into high rise apartments and a pretty groovy (but fancy!) park. There has been talk among the practitioners, now scattered far and wide, about a centralized archive of the documentation. This history is largely lost, which is one reason I am compelled to make it the subject/setting of my fiction. What resonates most for me is the movement’s connection to sound, light, and putting the body in some kind of danger.

Here are a few resources:

Gallerist Ethan Pettit has blogged on the movement here. He includes links to other resources.

Facebook users can see a small gallery here put together by Pettit.

Marcin Ramocki has made a documentary film that captures that Williamsburg moment. Excerpts here. It premiered at MOMA in 2009.

Ebon Fisher and Ethan Pettit have posted a flickr gallery documenting Flytrap, a 1991 warehouse piece.

Here is one of the venues, before its demolition: The Mustard Factory