THE UNDERBELLY
work in progress
The clanky noise of a heating system, that familiar annoyance, is channeled into a symphonic and visceral experience of a laborious work of an old steam boiler. The boiler, a pumping heart in an old residential building, transforms water into vapor. Pipes take on a role of arteries, they circulate heat throughout the building and map out a claustrophobic portrait of common and private space.
Human ability to harness heat is central to survival. Today, steam heating system overheats 70% of residential buildings in NYC emitting one of the largest portion of greenhouse gases in the City. It is the direct result of theories of infection control that accompanied the global pandemic of 1918. The system was designed to heat buildings on the coldest day with all the windows open to provide ventilation.
“The Underbelly” explores angst of the zeitgeist, signaling social and environmental concerns. Currently, the project is in pre-production.
