Broad Channel

Sarah J. Christman
Friday, September 3 - Sunday, September 5, 2010

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Broad Channel is a documentary portrait of a unique urban beach. While its pollution and traffic noise make it an unlikely spot to commune with nature, this unnamed narrow strip of beach invites a remarkably diverse cross-section of New Yorkers to meet the water.

Soon after relocating to New York City, Christman employed Google satellite imagery to explore the green and beige parts of the outer boroughs. She quickly discovered that most of the large undeveloped areas, which look pristine from the distance of a thousand miles, were in fact landfills. Making her way toward the popular shores of the Rockaways, she crossed into Rulers Bar Hassock. Commonly known as "Broad Channel," it is the only inhabited island in the tidal estuary of Jamaica Bay. It is a tenuous, evolving ecosystem, constantly in flux. Here, swimsuits and towels are rare, while coconuts, rats, and swans are ordinary occurrences. With airplanes queuing up for landing overhead, beach combers pace the shoreline with their metal detectors. Loud groups of fisherman haul in their catch, while Hindu families release puja offerings into the bay. Over the course of one year, Christman joined the waves of regular visitors with her noisy hand-cranked sixteen millimeter camera, documenting the complex relationship between people and the environment in this dynamic microcosm.

Christman's films and videos have screened internationally, including International Film Festival Rotterdam, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and the San Francisco International Film Festival, where her film Dear Bill Gates earned the New Visions Award. She is an Assistant Professor in the film department at Brooklyn College. Christman's website