NEW YORK, NY.- Turner-prize winning artist Douglas Gordon and acclaimed pianist Hélène Grimaud have been commissioned by Park Avenue Armory to create a new site-specific, multidisciplinary installation filling the Armory’s expansive drill hall this December. Titled tears become . . . streams become . . ., the monumental installation and performance piece draws inspiration from the element of water, which will come together with light, reflection, music, and sound to amplify the architecture of one of the most historic buildings in New York.

On view from December 10, 2014, through January 4, 2015, with performances by Grimaud taking place during evenings from December 9 through 21, tears become . . . streams become . . . will transcend traditional art forms and feature an immense field of water that will span and transform the Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall. The installation will offer viewers a meditative and reflective experience during the day, with a player piano animating the space, foreshadowing the performances to come and evoking the previous night’s recital. Grimaud will perform within the installation for ten nights with a program of water-themed works by Debussy, Ravel, Liszt, and others, creating a confluence of live music and visual art that allows audiences to experience this celebrated music and the concert experience in new ways.

“Here at the Armory, we encourage artists to envision and create new works of art that would not be possible to produce anywhere else—fostering the realization of projects that are truly site-specific and that demand non-traditional spaces and audience involvement,” said Rebecca Robertson, President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory. “This collaboration between Douglas Gordon and Hélène Grimaud is a prime example of why the Armory as an arts institution was founded: to provide artists with a platform for boundless creative expression, and the public with opportunities for extraordinary and unexpected artistic experiences.”

“We are committed to supporting pioneering artists in their exploration of new ways to develop and evolve their art forms,” added Alex Poots, Artistic Director of the Armory. “Douglas and Hélène have been inspired by the fundamental element—water—to create a communion of music, visual art, and the Armory’s architecture.”

tears become. . . streams become . . . is the anchor visual arts presentation of the Armory’s 2014 artistic season, and marks the Armory’s eighth visual arts presentation to date. Other forthcoming projects include Peter Sellars’ staging of Bach’s choral masterpiece St. Matthew Passion, a co-production with Lincoln Center White Light Festival, in October, as well as continued programming as part of the Armory’s annual Recital Series and Under Construction series. The season launched in March 2014 and has included: a series of intimate concerts by the xx; the critically acclaimed production of Macbeth as envisioned by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh; and The Passenger, Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s epic opera and a co-production with Lincoln Center Festival. tears become. . . streams become . . . continues the Armory’s tradition of mounting major visual art installations, including work by artists Christian Boltanski, Peter Greenaway, Ann Hamilton, Ryoji Ikeda, Paul McCarthy, Ernesto Neto, and Tom Sachs.

Installation Dates and Performance Schedule
tears become. . . streams become . . .is on view from December 10, 2014, through January 4, 2015. The installation will be activated with a series of performances for ten evenings by Hélène Grimaud from December 9 through December 21, 2014.