NADA House 2023

Molly Gochman is an artist and activist deeply engaged in social practice with a focus on activating spaces that facilitate profound collective experiences. Situated at Nolan Park on Governors Island, “Gathering” is a participatory installation by Gochman that invites us to consider how our actions shape our world. Through public engagement, the work encourages viewers to deepen their connections with each other and with the land on which we all live.

“Gathering” is composed of 200 rolled-up waxed canvas tarps that Gochman has printed with indigenous flora and fauna, all framing approximately 13,000 square feet of land. The tarps appear stitched to the grass, mirroring the shape of Governors Island before it was reshaped by excavation and dredging in the early 20th century. The result is an open environment that encourages participants to engage not only with the work itself, but with each other, through acts of play, collaboration, and even alteration. During its month-long duration, visitors are invited to take a tarp with them. As they depart with this canvas, the immense installation begins to change shape—its outline slowly eroding. The work will take on new meaning through this process, as pieces of it find new homes and purposes.

Dancers, knot tyers, meditators, healers, community organizers, and various participants will energize the site, extending an invitation to join and collectively enrich our understanding of one another. The form of “Gathering” will eventually disappear, yet the exchanges hosted on the site will generate lasting experiences for all who decide to interact with it. This is the latest manifestation of Gochman’s social practice, which has long had a focus on activating spaces that facilitate profound collective experiences.