Every Monday night, the Promontory in Hyde Park transforms part of its upstairs venue to host the Corner—a young performance series that, like its namesake, arises from an intersection. Curators Sam Brown and Sasha Tycko use the space inventively, curtaining off the main stage and instead using a small platform in the corner, angled toward the square bar in the middle of the room. Since taking over the series in April 2016, they’ve nurtured a creative community whose identity has shifted and expanded constantly. The series has become a nexus for live music, spoken word, DJ sets, visual-art installations, and community organizing—often all in one night. The Corner also wants to provide a place where artists and activists can take a break from their striving to relax and recharge.
To help create an immersive experience, Brown and Tycko invite visual artists and activist groups to transform the bar’s entranceway, which they call “the threshold.” One week they might have live painting or T-shirt tagging, while another week they might arrange for an evening of informational tabling by LGBTQ-focused prison-abolition organization Black & Pink. The Corner also incorporates a monthly DJ residency, which has included DJ Cqqchifruit (of Trqpiteca), ChurchDontStop, and DJ Lisa Decibel.
Brown and Tycko hope to keep the format fluid in order to respond to the needs of their community and maintain a “collaborative, generative space.” Starting in December, there will be a short open mike at the beginning of each week (instead of just one week a month), and each show will also have its own host—someone who’s both an artist and a community organizer, educator, or what Tycko calls a “space facilitator.” She says, “The dream is that people are coming back every week, and we’re starting to see that happen.”
