LABOR

2024

Labor continues sculptor Juliana Cerqueira Leite's research into the ways repetitive movements construct and deconstruct the built world. Four former assembly line workers perform, from memory, the movements that defined their work. Labor uses long exposure photography and techniques pioneered by Lilian and Frank Gilbreth in the early 1900's to draw parallels between the development of film and photography, and assembly-line based industrial manufacturing. The film and its original score by Nik Colk Void connect the material qualities of their mediums to memory and work, moving from animation to live action.

Juliana Cerqueira Leite is a Brazilian sculptor based in New York. She often works from the inside-out, producing indexes of movement. Her works in sculpture, drawing and video engage the complicated histories and possible futures of representing the human form. She has exhibited internationally since graduating from the Slade School of Fine Art (London) in 2006 as recipient of the Kenneth Armitage Sculpture Prize. Cerqueira Leite was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2019 in support of her solo exhibition Orogenesi at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Italy. In 2016 she was awarded the Furla Art Prize for her contribution to the 5th Moscow Young Art Biennale. She has exhibited her work in group shows in venues such as the Sculpture Center, (New York), Saatchi Gallery (London), the 2017 Venice Biennale Antarctic Pavilion, the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology (MuBE, São Paulo), and Hordaland Kunstsenter for the 2019 Bergen Assembly (Norway). Recent solo shows include Instituto Tomie Ohtake (São Paulo), Nogueras Blanchard (Madrid), Alma Zevi (Venice), Galeria Casa Triângulo (São Paulo), and Proxyco Gallery (New York). Her work has been reviewed in publications such as Artforum and Frieze Magazines, The Brooklyn Rail and the MIT Drama Review.

Nik Colk Void is a UK-based electronic musician and artist recognised for her innovative work in experimental sound, genre-blending compositions, and collaborations. Her creative practice revolves around the unconventional use of analog and digital instruments—primarily voice, guitar, and modular Eurorack systems—where she explores new musical languages through extended techniques and cut-up self-made samples via synthesis. Her compositions span techno, club, electro-acoustic, experimental, and noise genres. Based in the UK, Void has produced eight acclaimed studio albums with her musical groups, released through labels such as Mute, DFA, Blast First, Editions Mego, and Industrial. With a background in visual arts, Nik has played a pivotal role as a producer and live performer with Factory Floor and Carter Tutti Void, groups known for their bold approach to electronic music and uncompromising live performances. She has also developed extensive work with the late Peter Rehberg, founder of Editions Mego, and collaborated with visual artists Haroon Mirza, Cosey Fanni Tutti, and Philippe Parreno. Her debut album, Bucked Up Space, released through Editions Mego in April 2022, merges her explorations of improvisation with beat-driven music, drawing on her experiences performing in galleries and clubs across the UK and Europe. The album reflects the adaptability of her setups—designed to resonate in varied spaces—and her commitment to challenging conventions and fostering new social dialogues through music. Marked by fearless improvisation and a collaborative spirit, Bucked Up Space is a testament to her ability to disrupt norms and introduce fresh perspectives within the electronic music landscape. Bucked Up Space highlights on Mary Anne Hobbs BBC 6 Music, Pitchfork and The Observer and news stories from the likes of Resident Advisor, Clash and The Quietus. Praise for ‘Interruption Is Good’“... a banging piece of sound art” - The Observer “...a fascinating piece of Brutalist techno that pivots between crisp machine-like minimalism and granulated noise.” - Clash "A piece of immediately engaging techno it reveals more of itself with each listen.” - CMU Daily. Nik has performed at international festivals such as Mutek, Sonar, Primavera, Coachella, Movement, Paris GRM, Unsound, and Dark Mofo, and has presented installations and residency work at venues including The Barbican Centre, Tate Modern, London ICA, and the Pompidou Centre.

LABOR was commissioned by and received production support from MONO NO AWARE. The film was captured by the artist using a Rex-5 Bolex Camera & Time lapse motor on 16mm color film supplied by the organization. Exhibition prints were timed, printed and developed by our partners at ColorLab, MD. The film was edited on a 4-plate Steenbeck flatbed editing table and spliced with a CIRO Guillotine Splicer at our learning lab in downtown Brooklyn. Scans and stills were made possible with the Xena scanner supplied by our partners CineLab. This film was made with the support of Mono No Aware and a grant from the Yale School of Art.