|
New York University's Richard
Ettinghausen Library, Bulbach, and Crisantemi
Photo: ©Dan
Franklin Smith
|
|
"Interwoven Over Millennia:
East, West,
Ancient and New"
|
|
Among the primary influences underlying Bulbach's
textile art are the Manhattan
neighborhood in which he lives and his academic achievements.
For most of the 20th Century Chelsea was
home to a number of tight-knit ethnic communities not the least
of which were its Syrian-Lebanese families. Chelsea
was also where New York City's first "block associations" arose,
building upon the strength of the ties connecting families in
the neighborhood.
Bulbach's B.A. in History of Religion (1969)
was followed by an M.A. (1972)
and
a Ph.D.
(1981)
in Near
Eastern
Studies, all at New York University at Washington Square in
neighboring Greenwich Village.
In 2019, NYU's
Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies invited
Bulbach to return and mount an exhibition of his textile art
in its Richard Ettinghausen Library.
In addition to being an exhibition for
its students, faculty and local community, the center was was
hosting a number
of conferences on Near and Middle Eastern art history for
scholars from across the country. |
|
Unless otherwise noted, all woven designs
and photos on this webpage are copyright protected by Stanley
Bulbach,
All
Rights
Reserved and all photos taken by same. |
|
|
|
|
Designed by architect Philip Johnson, the Hagop
Kevorkian Center is on Washington Square South. It is the home
of NYU's Middle Eastern studies program. |
|
|
|
|
For the lower half
of the building the designer,
Turett Collaborative, and the university incorporated architectural
elements from the Quwwatli
Family residence in Damascus, which was originally built in 1797
almost a quarter of a millennium ago. This interior
space is a breathtaking historical recreation.
|
|
|
|
|
In that bottom half of the center
lies the Richard Ettinghausen Library,
half of which is a high-ceiling atrium. The other half is a
meeting space topped by two levels of library holdings. It
was a space
where lots of activity occurs, not much free wall space left,
and lighting was not originally designed for exhibiting
visual art.
But as challenging as the site was to mount an
exhibition, the library was the perfect setting for Bulbach's textile
art inspired by the
ancient Near and Middle East. |
|
|
|
|
The Library's lower
balcony provided the perfect opportunity to mimic a traditional
dyers' souk in Morocco
to display the original materials prepared for the
weaving of the textile art in this exhibition.
|
|
|
|
|
The temporary installation
of whiteboard created the vertical surfaces upon which to mount the
exhibition of eight flatwoven carpets. The historic mosaic floors
and the surrounding textile art harmonized with each other eloquently.
|
|
|
|
|
On this side were Crisantemi, Ginkgoes,
and September Passages. Crisantemi in particular
seemed to participate in a dialogue with the Damascene tiled floor.
|
|
|
|
|
And on this other side were Messengers, Peony,
and Sheet of Ice, and Sumac Auspices.
|
|
|
|
|
And in the last remaining free
space, was Times Square, highlighting New York City's prior
role as the "crossroads of the world," and a unique international
intermingling of
arts, commerce, cultures, eras, histories, peoples,
philosophies, politics, religions, and studies.
|
|
|
|
Photo 2019 Erickson Jaquez |
|
This small exhibition was a
gem. First,
NYU was inviting Bulbach to return to his academic roots where
he first pored over the ancient histories, languages, and cultures
that gave rise to our later Western civilisations and technologies.
Second, it was a rare opportunity for the public
to see the unique "canvas" used by the artist in a stunning
original cultural setting.
Third, it maintained the memory of an important
part of the ethnic richness of his New York City neighborhood,
Chelsea, a diversity that is rapidly disappearing.
|
|
|
|
Photo 2019 Erickson Jaquez |
|
With appreciation and thanks
to the staff at the Kevorkian, to New York University, and especially
to Prof. James Ryan for all his help and support.
|
|