Heed the Call of the Wild in Gowanus

The Gowanus might be known more for its septicity than its "wildness," but that's not stopping arts organization Spoke the Hub from shaking things up.

This weekend is the 12th installment of The Gowanus Wildlife Preserve Showcase series, the informal concert and dance series that celebrates all things wild, wacky and wonderful in Gowanus performance art.

Featuring a variety of work by emerging as well as established performance artists, The Preserve aims to showcase and celebrate "all manner of wild theatrical flora and fauna" in the area that, as of late, is known more for its cancerous Canal than killer instinct. Choreographer Elise Long hopes the series will serve to remind folks that besides being an up and coming hub for artists and hipsters, the Gowanus was once a neighborhood with an edge. It can still be scary, silly and even a little sexy, she says.

"I felt the wildness of this area starting to leave us," she said, remembering when she started the series in 1979. "Nothing was happening on Fifth Avenue. Now it's kind of a hip place."

Once a derelict building, the Gowanus Arts building at 295 Douglass St. is now alive with the pounding of a bass drum from a Brazilian band one floor below, as Long sits and chats with musician Art Lillard and artist and neighbor Heather Cox, describing her vision for the showcase with the same vivacity as when she first launched Spoke the Hub Dancing, more than 30 years ago.

Long said the series is meant to preserve the idea that "art is a little wild, and is a little unsafe... or it should be!" 

As a performer, she continued, "you're an explorer in the world, looking for something. Performance is a great place to do that."

With experimentation as its core objective and its emphasis on originality, the Showcase serves up a mixed bag of artists and performers. The show is centered on dance, but there will be all sorts of performance art; last year's show was heavy on jungle themes, characters and costumes, and this year's show will feature as many fun and colorful interpretations of Gowanus' urban wildness.

There will be new performance work by established artists Pauline Legras, Catey Ott Thompson and Madame Beak, comedy monologues by Victor Verhaeghe, music by Art Lillard's Big Band Jazz sextet and even a piece by artist Courtney Brown featuring a robotic chair.

Adding to the "wildness" is the unpredictability of some of the performances. Since applications are open to all performance oriented-members of the public, there are many performers that Long doesn't know personally; there is often a level of surprise, making things even more interesting.

"Sometimes depending on the nature of the way the person works, we really don't know what they're going to do, we know what they do, or what they're interested in," said Long.

According to Long, the recent , has done nothing to discourage artists from working in the vicinity. The attention toward the Gowanus, she said, seems to "rise and fall" even in light of the Superfund. And in some ways, the toxicity has inspired artists even more: there have been Gowanus Wildlife Preserve performances dedicated to the Canal and all its cancerous charm, including an operetta by Brooklyn blues outfit SlackJaw, she said.

"Viva Gowanus!" Long said.

Performances are on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Gowanus Arts Building, 295 Douglass St. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door for adults; kids get in for $5. Tickets and info are available online at spokethehub.org, by calling 718-408-3234 or by visiting the Spoke The Hub office at 748 Union Street, Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.