The Boogie Down Booth (174th St.)
2015
MDO plywood, latex paint, wood, directional speakers, LED lights, photovoltaic panels
10’ x 18’ x 3’
The Bronx, NY

The first Boogie Down Booth was part of Under the Elevated, a project of the Design Trust for Public Space, in partnership with the NYCDOT that looked at ways to maximize the function and spatial qualities under New York’s elevated transit infrastructure. Boogie Down Booth (174th St.) adapts the initial concept for a new site. Instead of wrapping around a column like the original, this new version lines a fence surrounding an existing park on Southern Boulevard. Like the previous installation, this version also provides seating, lighting, and music that originated in the Bronx. In addition, it also incorporate other interactive elements like a community bulletin board, and a mural wall painted by local high school students at East Bronx Academy For The Future. The project is meant to activate a neglected stretch of Southern Boulevard and create a more hospitable place for everyone to enjoy. The installation reuses much of the material from the previous installation. It uses the existing fence as structural support.

Commissioned by WHEDco

Partners:
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the Bronx Music Heritage Center, East Bronx Academy For The Future, Bronx Community Board 3, Southern Boulevard Merchant Association, NYC Department of Small Business Services, Surdna Foundation

Design:
Chat Travieso

Construction:
Errol Banton, Exle McCallum, Rohan Thompson, and Chat Travieso, with help from Simba Mafundikwa

Solar Engineer:
T4D Lab, R. David Gibbs
Panels on loan from Build It Green NYC

Original concept by Chat Travieso and Neil Donnelly for the Design Trust for Public Space