Outdoor Interventions in Austin, Texas

Sterling Allen
Ted Carey
Sarah Fagan
Rachel Freeman
Adreon Denson Henry & Jennifer Henry
Emily Lee
Sean Ripple
Amy Scofield
Meghan Shogan
Amanda Julia Steinback & Staci Maloney
Alyssa Taylor Wendt
Suzanne Wyss

Left in Leaves is a group show of interventions across the city of Austin, freely left in outdoor public spaces between May 1st and 31st.

Documentation will be shared on the Northern-Southern website and social media.

Sign up to get maps emailed to you. Maps are sent as the projects are installed. If you would like a map to all sites sent sooner, email hello@northern-southern.com.

At the conclusion of the month, the maps will be collected in a print ‘zine, in which each artist will be interviewed. Northern-Southern can mail it you upon request (via USPS).

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Organizers Statement

At Big Stacy pool, there’s a regular named Ken. He’s about 72 years old with a silver ponytail and the cliched fitness of a man half his age. He swims a mile, at least, then does press-ups with his feet on the bench. On cloudy, humid days he sets up in the park outside the pool with a custom rig to conjure enormous soap bubbles.

I asked him about it. He told me he learned the art in Guatemala where he surfs and helps leftist groups. There they call him Comandante Burbujas. He built the set up himself, with his own glycerin mixture. On wet, cloudy days, the bubbles can be as big as cars.

I suggested, hey what about a show for kids or something organized. Ken demurred. This is “Arte Puro” he told me. “It is not done for money and can never be scheduled. It just is, free and enjoyed, then gone.”

—Phillip Niemeyer