Richard Nonas
Sculpture and Book, Details from the Excavation of Wooster Street

Among the sculptures dealing with enclosure were: Tank Top, Dead Fall, Sump, Dad’s Folks, Dry Creek Shorty, Dry Run Shorty, and Dry Well. The works were in the same basic format: four lengths of rough-hewn timber beams placed two on two, forming squares both on the wall and on the floor. The simple structure was varied by using different types of wood and different dimensions and by employing alternative strategies of balancing, tipping, and insetting. The large floor pieces used aged, weathered wood. This, combined with their evocative titles, expanded the viewer’s sense of reference beyond the Minimalist format. “Details from the Excavation of Wooster Street,” published by Buffalo Press, was exhibited as well. The book contains photos of people in various locations. Each photo was outline with rough black lines and each page listed the number of people and locations in the photos. During Nonas’ installation, Nancy Lewis created incorporating rocks and a gas lantern as props. Jeffrey Lew sang and played the guitar and Allen Katzman read his Indian poetry.

Excerpted from Brentano, R., & Savitt, M. (1981). 112 Workshop, 112 Greene Street: History, artists & artworks. New York: New York University Press.