Shanzhai Lyric
Canal Street Research Association
September 29–Spring 2023
Acknowledging the cultural and commercial legacy of Canal Street, our inaugural library program hosts Canal Street Research Association, the fictional office of poetic research unit Shanzhai Lyric.
During their residency beneath the illuminated sidewalk up above, Shanzhai Lyric will research the undercurrents of Canal Street—from basement factories and subterranean pathways that serve as counterfeit warehousing and escape routes, to the massage parlors and covert nightlife enabled by the clandestine activities of the street.
运河项目很荣幸能够接待由艺术家凌明和Alexandra Tatarsky组织运营的艺术小组「坚尼街研究小组」作为其首届图书馆驻留成员。在驻留期间,「坚尼街研究小组」还会持续建立由一系列超本地故事、记忆和物件组成的，一个鲜活的、属于该街区的记忆银行。
Library is open Tuesday–Saturday, 12–6pm
Office hours by appointment
More research notes can be found @canal_street_research
Established in 2015, Shanzhai Lyric investigates global trade networks, informal markets, and the poetics of counterfeit goods. 山寨, or “shanzhai,” means “counterfeit” in contemporary Chinese usage but translates literally to “mountain hamlet,” in reference to a place on the outskirts of empire where bandits abscond with goods to redistribute among those on the margins. In 2020, Shanzhai Lyric founded Canal Street Research Association in an empty storefront on Canal Street, New York City’s counterfeit epicenter, delving into the cultural and material ecologies of the street and its long history as a site that probes the limits of ownership and authorship.
2020年，「山寨歌词」在坚尼街这个纽约最大的假货买卖地寻觅了一间临街的空店面，在那成立了「坚尼街研究小组」。自此以这儿为基地，深入研究和探索运河街的文化物质生态，及其如何作为一个推敲版权和所有权限度的历史性场域。
Library furniture for Canal Street Research Association designed in collaboration with Lars Fischer of common room.
