(Flyer via Alt Space)
The last time we saw Nasa Hadizadeh of Alt Space– the IRL art and fashion hub of Alt Citizen– it was January and she and her crew were so, so ready to cram their stuff inside a baby blue short bus and escape winter early by way of an enviable jaunt across the country. That’s exactly what Alt Space did after closing down its Montrose Avenue incarnation. Now, after a few months and some bumps along the way (including a broke-down bus), they’ve returned to Brooklyn with a whole new lease on pop-up life.
“Out on the road we were really inspired by how we can adjust to our environment,” Nasa explained. “Even though we’d change form for the space, no matter where we went we still brought our vibe– that’s something we want to have in our own city.” A little “clubhouse” on the way, but they’re not ready to settle back down into stationary life quite yet. So, starting tomorrow, Alt Space will launch the first in a series of collaborative art and fashion pop-ups happening all over the city with a takeover at Signal Gallery in Bushwick (Saturday, April 16, 6 pm to 8 pm).
The guest of honor is Noisy Kids, which is not Vice’s Noisey for kids as far as we know. It’s an ambitious, glossy new zine founded by a legit impressive kid, Kati Yewell, an artist who, at 19, has a pretty good gig working as an illustrator for Rookie magazine. “She’s definitely someone to watch,” Nasa said.
The first issue of Noisy Kids rings in at a hefty 90 pages full of interviews, illustrations, collage work, and more original artwork to be shown at Signal by close to 20 artists. Contributors include the likes of Grace Miceli (founder of online-only Art Baby Gallery) and, yes, Tavi Gevinson (who’s also the issue #1 cover girl). Expect the impossibly accomplished 19-year-old Rookie mag founder/stage actress/writer/tastemaker to be on hand at the zine release party where she’ll not only make you feel old and wholly inadequate, but Nasa told us that she’ll have “some journals on display” too. Ok phew, that sounds like something we can handle.
Tavi Gevinson, issue #1 cover girl for “Noisy Kids” (Image courtesy of Alt Space)
Of course, Alt Space, existing as a “traveling shop-up” right now, will be doing their thing, too. You can expect to find the same kinds of fashion pieces that were available at the Montrose space, but Alt will also be showing off their new wares from artists and craftspeople they met across the country. “We have lots of new art prints, and stuff we collected along the way, exclusives that we’ve done with artists, and merch stuff that we’ve done with zines,” Nasa explained. Also look out for “rare zines, books, tapes, and many other kinds of artifacts.” We hope that means power crystals.
And if that’s not enough to send you into a too-cool tizzy, the Signal takeover will also feature live performances by Jimi Lucid (psychedelic vapor-tronics), Pretty Sick (NYC bass-driven chit-chat punk), and Nightspace (horror ambient).
So what’s next up for Alt Space? Well, they’ll be staging something like nine more of these pop-ups over the coming months and in about two weeks look out for the arrival of the Alt Space Clubhouse. “We saw all these really cool live-work spaces on the road trip,” Nasa explained. “And our friend Phil is opening up the front room at his apartment for us– people can come by and check out the art, it’ll be a space for more small-scale events and artist collaboration stuff.”
Stay tuned to the Alt Space Facebook for deets.
Alt Space Takeover + “Noisy Kids” Zine Release Party, Saturday April 16, 6 pm to 8 pm at Signal Gallery in Bushwick.