Fresh Air
Gordon Matta-Clark
Fresh Air, 1972
Video of the action on Wall Street, Manhattan, New York black and white, sound, 16 min Director, camera: Juan Downey
GF0001924.00.0-1996
Artwork text
In this piece of action art on air pollution in New York, Gordon Matta-Clark set up a small vehicle in Manhattan’s Wall Street and fitted it with oxygen apparatus. Passers-by were invited to take a seat in the Fresh Air cart, back to back on two seats covered with white material and to breathe in “pure air” (79 per cent nitrogen, 21 per cent oxygen). A week later the performance was repeated at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Street and recorded on video by the media artist Juan Downey. (Sabine Breitwieser)