“When you first walk in, it was dark as fuck,” says 2ESAE. “And then when we finally found the lights, that’s when the whole place opened up,” SKI finishes.
They are describing the abandoned Loew’s Canal Theatre, which they snuck into under the cover of darkness one night in February. Built in the the early 1920s, the ornate structure is one of New York’s oldest theaters, quietly decaying in plain view.
I was invited to join the duo who were there to install site-specific art inside the landmark as an homage, and the F11 crew to document it. The smell of old wood overwhelmed as I explored the creaky structure. From the opening mezzanine, to the stage, to the projector room, the theater is a time capsule of gems from the roaring 20s in Old New York.
See photos in the gallery above, watch ANIMAL’s footage of the artwork installation hereand watch F11’s video below.
URNY x F11 – A Night at the Theater from Mr_Dume on Vimeo.
(Photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
