ASCENSION: by Elizabeth Streb, Performed by STREB Extreme Action Company

Gansevoort Plaza (at the intersection of Gansevoort Street, Little West 12th Street, and 9th Avenue)

There is a sense of beauty about a ladder, a device that has existed for centuries to assist us when the need to go higher arises. As the _ASCENSION_ ladder turns, and the forces wreak their confusing havoc on the climbers, it becomes difficult to recognize if the performers are climbing up or down at any given time. One by one they hop on and begin their endless climb, around and around and around all nine bodies go. The climb, the ever revolving Sisyphean ascent to the unreachable top of the ladder, disallows arrival and the accomplishment of the quotidian function, to get somewhere.—Elizabeth Streb

_ASCENSION_ was created as part of the series _Whitney on Site: New Commissions Downtown_.

Performance schedule:

July 7, 3 pm and 5 pm
July 8, 3 pm and 4:30 pm
July 9, 3 pm and 5 pm

Weather permitting, this outdoor performance will take place at Gansevoort Plaza (at the intersection of Gansevoort Street, Little West 12th Street, and 9th Avenue). The performance is free and no special tickets are required. The plaza viewing area space is limited and is standing-room only. Performance times subject to change.