Closing weekend of Re:NEW Festival includes publication of Spanish photographer’s take on Pittsburgh

The final days of this inaugural, month-long festival of art made from upcycled materials include the last chance to see a couple of big group exhibits, plus a fashion show and a special one-day art installation in Market Square. (A complete schedule is here.) Another special feature is “Now Here Nowhere,” a limited-run newsprint publication featuring photographs by Consuelo Bautista.

The free 22-page publication features 36 striking black-and-white images of Pittsburgh by Bautista, who specializes in artfully candid street photography. (Pittsburgh City Paper donated the printing services for the project.) Bautista’s resume includes similar projects in Cuba, Colombia and Jerusalem. One publication, “a los Invisibles,” documented the world of African immigrants to Spain, and life in Morocco (which lies just across the Strait of Gibraltar).

In Pittsburgh, Consuelo spent two weeks living on the North Side and shooting all over, from Downtown and the Strip District to Mount Washington and Braddock. Images in “Now Here Nowhere” include an empty wheelchair left on the sidewalk outside a beat-up brick building; a young woman’s neck and ornate earring; the undersides of raised highways; street art; and a little girl watching a youth-football practice. Other than a few short essays on the second-to-last page, the publication includes no captions or other text.



In an interview, Bautista said she is drawn to moments and scenes rather than portraiture, and avoids interaction with her human subjects. “I don’t want faces. I want histories, and feelings,” she said. “It’s like a little movie.”

As to the printing format, she said, “I try to catch the idea of a newspaper, but something more personal.”

This was Bautista’s first trip to Pittsburgh. She said she was impressed by how much Pittsburgh packs into a small space, and by its walkability (especially compared to other U.S. cities she’s visited, like Los Angeles and Miami).

“Now Here Nowwhere” will be available this weekend at various Downtown venues including: the PPG Wintergarden (where the terrific Drap-Art showcase of international art holds a free closing reception from 4-6 p.m. Sat., Oct. 6); at 623 Smithfield St., home to Re:NEW fest’s fine juried show for regional artists; 709 Penn gallery; the former Visitors’ Center on Liberty Avenue near Stanwix; and in Market Square, where activities on Saturday will include German artist Stephanie Senge’s live installation project Food Mandala, and a day-long Artisan and Farmers Market.

Other closing-weekend highlights include: the Fashion Extravaganza, at 7 p.m. Friday in the PPG Wintergarden; and, at 623 Smithfield, Assemble’s free Sewable Circuits workshops, at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., and a recycling-themed magic show by the Pennsylvania Resources Council, from 1:30-2:30 p.m.