Windows On Welfare Island Photo Exhibit By Danielle Hayes Presented By Roosevelt Island Historical Society At Octagon Gallery Starting This Weekend - Opening Reception February 19

Image From Roosevelt Island Historical Society

From the Roosevelt Island Historical Society:

An exhibition of 19 color-infused photographs captures the abandoned hospital buildings of Welfare Island, as Roosevelt Island was formerly called, and injects them with new life. Windows on Welfare Island collects images taken by Dannielle Hayes in 1968, at a time when the southern portion of the island was ignored and largely forgotten, long before politicians and housing officials considered developing a residential community.

The show is at the Octagon Gallery, 888 Main Street on Roosevelt Island, from February 18 to March 18, 2012. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, February 19, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

"When Dannielle Hayes first showed her photos in a small exhibition organized by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society in 1998, the Society had conducted limited research on their context. The current show incorporates facts and details that we have subsequently learned about the sites and buildings she photographed more than 40 years ago," said Judith Berdy, President of The Roosevelt Island Historical Society, which presents this exhibition. Dannielle Hayes documented the architectural remains of the abandoned sites over a period of three weekends, often without knowing the names of the buildings, since there were few identifying signs.

"It was as if the doctors, nurses and patients had just left one day. I photographed rooms full of rusty beds; rooms with painted storybook characters peeling off the walls and baby bottles strewn about the floor," said Hayes.

"In 1998, at the request of Judith Berdy, I took a contemporary look at the photos from thirty years prior. I utilized the then-new Canon Color Laser Copier to transform the original black and white negatives into colour, a first in technology. I then made transfer prints and heat transferred the images to 100% archival Rives BFK paper. Each print is a unique image," she added.The exhibition is free and open to the public daily, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Here are two of the photos from the Danielle Hayes Windows on Welfare Island Octagon Gallery exhibit.

Images From Danielle Hayes