Occasions and Other Occurrences Hosted by Isabel Lewis

Isabel Lewis’s work takes the form of social occasions that mark their own space between the formats of the exhibition and the theater.

Conjuring at times the DJ set, lecture, party, and philosophical salon, her occasions engage the entire human sensorium. As host, Lewis’s dramaturgy is specific to the site, the guests, and their energies, encompassing dance, food, music, scent, and spoken address. All of the occasions offer an open duration, during which guests may freely enter, exit, and revisit.

For her Dia commission, Lewis invites audiences to engage in a weekend-long experience. The Friday evening occasions take place at Dia:Chelsea in an industrial building located at 541 West 22nd Street in New York City. Within this industrial space, Lewis creates a decorated environment with furniture, plants, and floral arrangements, and addresses the olfactory sense through a collaboration with Norwegian chemist and smell researcher Sissel Tolaas. On these Friday evenings, the sensuous-and-slow dancing and music follow contemporary partner dance originating in Lusophone Africa.

The weekend continues on Saturdays and Sundays at Long Dock Park in Beacon, New York, in partnership with Scenic Hudson. Lewis’s composition at the outdoor site engages the local ecology. Visitors are welcome to join the artist for conversation, contemplation, dancing, listening, or simply gathering together in this setting during the weekend afternoons.