FLOOD THEATER

Flood Theater is a temporary public art exhibition of The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s ArtsBergen initiative on view from August 27th, 2023 to November 24th, 2023.

Created by artist, director and writer, Juliacks, this artwork is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the New Jersey Coastal Management Program, Department of Environmental Protection – in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Located at these coordinates:
40.953482, -74.030250
Oradell, New Jersey

https://goo.gl/maps/yLdkRwRZ3Udo9dMFA

The work is in the field in front of the NJ Transit train station and it is easy to get there via Secaucus station if you wish to visit by train.

Special Thanks to:

Borough of Oradell Mayor and Council

Borough of Oradell Department of Public Works

Borough of Oradell Administrative Staff

Borough of Oradell Environmental Committee

Borough of New Milford Green Team

Christopher Macaluso, owner of America the Beautiful retail store

The Set: “The Sad House”

The Central ‘set’ of Flood Theater is “The Sad House.” Why is it sad? Because of flooding. The historic Demarest House of New Milford was flooded in a recent hurricane and many historical artifacts were damaged. One side of the house is crying. The other side shows reflections from the community about past flooding, as well as solutions to prevent damage from future flooding. What speaks to you? How do you feel about the flooding?

The process of creating FLOOD THEATER included a workshop and oral storytelling event about previous flooding in the community. Participants contributed their stories as well as images for the ‘quilt’ side of the “Sad House.”

Thanks to the following participants for their contributions:

Larysa Goryelova , Roman Goryelova, Ted Malin, Monica Chavarria
Tina Duddie, Margarete Denicola, Lisa Sandhusen, Peace Skeanner, Dianne Daniele, Kevin Looram.

The paper dolls: Eagle-Humans

Eagle-Humans are capable of both terrific and terrible choices. What choices can you make today to deal with imminent flooding?

In the installation of Flood Theater, there are 8 double sided prints above golden life preservers showing different responses to the flood.

Learn more about Juliacks

Juliacks is an artist, filmmaker, performance artist and graphic novelist working on stories that take on many different shapes and visual languages, ranging from tapestries, performance-installations, comics, to films, installations, plays, paintings, ceramics and aluminum sculptures. Through artistic, historical and social research, she develops new narrative universes to address social issues.

She is currently creating the novel, series of tapestries and public art project, Transversal Scepters. Read or order her graphic novel, Architecture of an Atom here. 

Receiving numerous fellowships and grants from the New Jersey Council of the Arts, the US Citizen Diplomacy Fund, and the Fulbright Foundation among others, Juliacks’ public artworks have been shown internationally at sites such as the Huygens Institute for Dutch History in Amsterdam and Newark Penn Station. Her films and performances have been shown at museums such as MOMA PS1, the Moderna museum in Stockholm, Musee d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, Centre d’Art Contemporain de Geneve, Kiasma Museum in Helsinki, and at festivals such as Other Futures in Amsterdam, and the Toronto Comics Arts Festival in Canada.

See more artwork and contact her at www.juliacks.com

Poem Written and Performed by Juliacks for the Opening on August 27th:

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Fire Bright Lighting Cloud Surface the light it shines it swivers it shades the night the light it gives the sheen of summer. The breath hissing out of the tires smooth old and almost breaking the chaos the cracked shells pavement slide piano the smooth keys relax and the ivory turned plastic melts in the ever present sun too much Vitamin D the vitamin that prevents your bones from breaking speak to me You said speak like you’ve never spoken before. Lisp if you need to. Crack a smile. The soft movement of the cloud and the eroded sand body underneath your body. What will become of the elephant? What will become of your heart? Who talks to you? Who do you talk to? Will it be safe? Will it be miraculous? Can you survive?

Yes. You can and you will as this adventure is a cycle. It is a round movement.

I’d like to explain these things the way I will through poetry as this is art. It can be explained and it also cannot be explained.

The tilting planet moves fast through space. You are on it swiftly moving.

Back back back through the night it moves
soft
the speech dictates which way to move
till slip
I’ll squeeze I’ll stop to listen I’ll focus on your story I’ll focus on you

do you judge

Thunder lightning drops rain falls it bursts it falters it drums it slams you down the force of water is fierce. I’ve got galoshes. I’m prepared. I’ve got a barbed wire barricade. This water won’t get through my fence I’ll tell ya.

If you’ve come to the party then you’ve got to bring a contribution. A drink a hand a pomegranate. You know what I’m saying. I’m saying be flexible. I’m saying well maybe just maybe its time to start giving gave-ing governing. Maybe its time to subsidize and energize a new generation of makers doers thinkers change flamers and then the real party people came to town and they took all the favors with them. It was not a darty. It was plain and simple fun. I might just say that I want to be honest and I don’t feel so comfortable. In fact I want to unexplain. I’d be a politician if I were to explain this work to you. But I’m an artist and I’m to make art. Can art make you change or can art make you feel?

Am I an administrator or an artist

1st – Define the function of your purpose

2nd Define the promise of your desire

3rd Present every alternative to the way of your intention

4th If you were to be guided through a small procedural inspection of your insides – would they connect the dots? Will you forgive yourself?

5th Rain
It’s going to rain a lot
Its not a feeling
Its a fact
The river will flood
It will be devastating
We must build for the flooding

6th You ever get Flooded with feeling? the “I-Dont-wannas” flood me sometimes

7th The I don’t wannas:
I don’t wanna get the ducks in a row
I don’t wanna clean the pipes
I don’t wanna get up
I don’t wanna be an adult

Yet and yet and yet

8th There’s an interrogation. It’s me and my values- boxing in the ring
1 – 2
1-2

Throw a punch
But wait —
you know
we’re on the same team

9th 1 – 2
1 – 2

10th We want the same things in the long run
It gets me going this drive

To act in line with what I care about
I love the universe
I love the world
I love New Jersey

and my love turns into care
and care means getting up
taking action
Building to withstand the flood
Building to withstand the heat

Engineering clean energy on a massive scale and FAST

Faster Quickly Speedy Sneller Super Sonic Jet Pack Cheetah Running Fire in your pants Tsunami Coming Running fast moving fast Faster We’ve got to get going we’ve got to work together DUMP the sand. Stop the Carbon express. Stop the pollution. Build safety. Build Futures. Yesterday. Now. Tomorrow. Bulldozer. No one can stop us.