RADICAL PROXIMITY
SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS SUMMER RESIDENCY 2026
New York City
site specific interactive installation
12’x15’x15′
string, thread, central park branches, acrylic paint, annealed wire
This installation considers the entropy of Manhattan as
generative,
a self-regulating system
of chaos that amplifies kinetic energy
by design.
The energy of here not only effortlessly recharges,
it compounds.
One of my first conversations in New York City was about how long it takes to become a local.
In Northern New Mexico, my home, you are considered a local when you have family buried in the ground. In New York City, they say you are a local as soon as you arrive.
An investigation into the entropy/energy of Manhattan requires identifying its actual geography.
The island city sits on one of the best natural harbors in the world.
deep,
sheltered
connected to the ocean.
After the Erie Canal opened in 1825, New York became the major gateway between Europe and the interior of North America; its island geography made it easy to defend and dock.
Trade, labor, immigration, finance, and ideas are concentrated.
The hard edges, limited space,
extreme density,
and intense circulation
through
bridges, tunnels, streets,
sidewalks and elevators,
subways,
and
stacked
apartments
force contact.
Geographically, Manhattan behaves like a charged electrical container.
The water around it creates boundary and pressure.
The grid encourages velocity.
Subways are live intersections, magnified collision points.
People, money, language,
ambition, performance, fashion,
politics,
and
art
all
move
through
the
same
narrow
system.
Radical proximity magnifies the leading edge of human exchange resulting in a city where everyone
belongs.
The geography and infrastructure create a charged system, where energy bounces back and forth, ideas gain momentum and speed.
Lines tangle, glitch, cross, tighten, and disperse,
driven by the restless energy of humanity and
resonant exchanges
which
then
shape
the human
mind.
Artist Statement
M Lind is an interdisciplinary artist from Northern New Mexico. She investigates the process of thinking and the ways in which it is influenced by spaces.
To see photographs of the New York investigation go to @m.lind.art
