No Longer Empty Brings Music Back to Former Tower Records Store

A temporary exhibition opened last week in NYC at the site of a former  downtown Tower Records store. Organized by No Longer Empty, Never Can Say Goodbye is an  exhibition that celebrates the past history of the site by showcasing works of art connected to music. The show also offers a perspective on how the music industry changed due to the move to digital formats.

Entering the space off Broadway, you first encounter what looks to be a music store. There are bins with records and a counter with a cashier. Overhead a large banner with a ‘Never Records’ logo hints that maybe a music retailer has returned to the site. But it is actually the work of Ted Riederer who created the phantom store to confuse visitors and encourage recollections of shopping the Tower store. While Never Records isn’t an actual retailer, the music and clothing on display can be purchased.

Learning the stories behind the work is worth some time. Shebren Versteeg’s installation at first glance might not even be viewed as part of the show. The fold up table with an old PC on it doesn’t draw much attention. But the work called ‘ The MP3 collection of my Father 2005″ shows the effects of what brought Tower down. The work was inspired the the publishing of former president Bush’s ipod contents. Versteeg offers his fathers collection of African music on the PC that visitors can explore or burn a copy of for free.

The organizers of the exhibition No Longer Empty started hosting art events last year in response to the glut of empty storefronts in NYC they were seeing. The staff come from museum backgrounds. The exhibitions they curate aim to reflect the former history of the sites they select. We spoke with curators Manon Slome and Steven Evans who said the response to the show at Tower was overwhelming. People have mentioned they miss the physical connection to music that shopping at Tower fulfilled.

In addition to the art exhibition, the space will present a series of live performances and panel discussions.