VENT at Soapbox Gallery 636 Dean Street, Brooklyn NY

Chad Wanzek inhabited our Soapbox Gallery window for five days and four nights. He quit smoking, ate only boiled potatoes, drank water, and expressed himself through writing on the walls with a single pencil. He was entertained by his thoughts and the movement of life outside his window -which, unexpectedly, included a tornado.

He had many exchanges with passersby; rush hour drivers quizzically looked on as they waited for a light to change, and locals asked questions as they passed this odd inhabitant day after day. The most curious groups were the packs of teens heading home from school and the little ones wondering who the man behind the glass was.

There was also a spirited stream of comments on our live feed, as people around the world checked in to see what Chad was up to -most often pacing back and forth.

Below are some images from the five days The Potato Eater was in the box.

VENT is approaching. Things are coming together, and performers are preparing. Chad Wanzek is boiling potatoes, and mentally readying himself to enter the window box.
 
Taking cues from Marina, Tehching Hsieh, Paul Wong as well as monks and sadhus, and perhaps pointing at the current prison state which uses solitary confinement in excessive ways, Chad is testing his limits. He is quitting smoking cold turkey, living off the minimal resources needed to stay alive, and sharing with us his process. He will be a white mouse in a glass box, and we are invited to observe.

Installing himself this coming Monday (September 13th) Chad will inhabit the window box of the Soapbox Gallery until the evening of Friday the 17th. The beginning of his residence also launches our Soapbox live feed; tune in day or night to witness Chad in his solitude.

When you remove distractions, does your mind calm down? Or does it busy itself to make up the difference?

Join us Thursday September 16th 7pm - 9pm for an open house. Also present will be Atom Cianfarani's Consume Love.