City, Landlords and Even the Coast Guard Helping to Sink Gowanus' Empty Vessel Project

Yesterday, the Empty Vessel Project--the World War II rescue boat moored on the Gowanus Canal and used as a community performance space--got some much deserved publicity in the New York Times and the good people at the Brooklyn Record updated us on the boat. Unfortunately, none of what the Times related about the boat was good. To summarize: A neighbor called the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard inspected and found "fire hazards" like a gas grill and evidence that people hang out on the boat. (Shocking.) They didn't do anything, but forwarded a report to the city, which had been threatening to give the boat the heave-ho for months, as we've reported. And the city gave Das Boot the boot.

Now, the Empty Vessel Project is tempoarily moored along private property with no public access. And soon, it could be gone.

In our Gowanus universe, that kind of news is like finding a roach doing the backstroke in your morning latte.

In the EVP's own words:

Thank you all for sharing your time, love and energy with us over the past year. Sadly, we have been forced to move EV from her public berth at the end of 1st Street onto a nearby private property. There is no public access at this new site, so EV cannot accept visitors. As a result, all public events are suspended until we find her a new home.

For the month of October, we are partnering with Free Dimensional to host Bara Diokhane, a painter from Senegal, aboard EV. He will be using the vessel as a studio, working on a project that makes connections to the 'boat people' who leave Senegal for economic opportunities in Spain. We are looking forward to a reception and show of his work at the beginning of November.

The future of EV as a publicly accessible space hinges on a berthing location where the public is welcome.

Can you help us find a place to put her? Do you know anyone with waterfront property on the Gowanus or in Red Hook? Are you connected to other waterfront projects who already have access in New York and would welcome another vessel/venue? Do you have a crane and an empty lot? We are open to suggestions and collaborations. We are willing to re-envision and re-imagine. We would like to bring EV back to the public. She is lonely without you.

Email pz [at] emptyvesselproject [dot] org with any and all ideas. We will even hand the project over in service of another good idea.

The loss of the Empty Vessel Project will be a loss to the entire Gowanus community. Bollocks to all that would have a hand in the EVP's demise or its removal from the Big G.

Related Post:
A Brooklyn Writer Talks About Gowanus' Empty Vessel Project