Silent Barn: Brooklyn’s Latest Collective
Kunal Gupta- Accounting, PLLC, Resident
-How long have you been living in Brooklyn?
1 yr
-What brought you here?
The Silent Barn’s relocation (previously was there in Queens, previously lived mostly in Queens)
-What do you find to be unique about the artistic community in Brooklyn?
There are an immense amount and variety of participators, and different levels of health per micro-culture, and it’s so fast paced that there isn’t really easy cross-conversation, which means it’s just this big stew of positive change potential. It also interfaces at least in recent years a few direct infrastructural New York things: the politics of occupy movements, gentrification, a pretty massive amount of money surrounding the art community which filters into support models for voices in the city that aren’t similalry access in other places, some pervasively present ‘branding’ and ‘marketing’ trying to intersect with the social aspects of it that are sometimes difficult to pinpoint and understand, – and recently, the quite tough backlash and other larger from a ton of city departments that really forces us to organize and understand who we are as a massive, tightly and deeply integrated political power.
-What are some of your inspirations—both in your art/career and just in your everyday life?
I dunno. Democracy Now & Amy Goodman – i think the best news source in america? Brian Chippendale – just some fierce no completely no bullshit physically present music? Jeremy Scahill – who just released Dirty Wars – just living such a beautiful, significant life with his lifespan . Tony Conrad & David Longstreth – just so full of musical love. But sincerely more than that – Claire, Kristen Barry, Katie McVeay – basically the entire silent barn community coming alive, actively building this dream.
-Do you see yourself staying in Brooklyn?
I’m stuck for 10 years.
-What’s a perfect Brooklyn day for you?
Every day in Brooklyn sucks. Every day in New York sucks. Every day in America sucks. There are some wicked beautiful moments in life that are non-stop, continuous, thread every personal breath together, but that’s overall frivolous. This is one of those “while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” conversations. Let’s be real – Brooklyn is never even close to having a perfect day for even a significant portion of its residence – it’s a fucking tough, disgusting, awful, challenging life. – a perfect day in brooklyn is when the whole wide population of this borough sighs together, smiles, it’s maybe sunny and they’re showered and fresh clothed, and they all feel like they might’ve just a really perfect day together. What a dream to work towards.
-What are the challenges inherent to being an artist in Brooklyn?
If you’re working in a medium that isn’t event or performance based, there aren’t that many entry-level, underground accessible places for art that takes significant time and presence to speak. That’s part of why we created silent barn, and there are really only a handful of others compared to the comparable tide (with ins and outs) of performance spaces, and it’s nice to finally join the handful. That might really be it. It’s a pretty encouraging place for most artists thanks to the massive community focus here.