Substrait (Underground Dailies)

Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-1978), an artist whose practice has significantly influenced the trajectory of contemporary art, delves into the subterranean landscapes of New York City. Selecting a range of sites such as the New York Central railroad tracks, Grand Central Station, 13th Street, Croton Aqueduct in Highgate, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine among others, Matta-Clark unveils the complexity and variety of the city’s underground spaces. This exploration challenges the conventional perception of New York as a predominantly “vertical” city, highlighting instead the crucial “horizontal voids” beneath it. These spaces, described by one of the characters in the work as the city’s “hot arteries,” are indispensable for its survival and growth, mirroring the societal reliance on the working class.

In the context of a 1970s New York City marked by urban decay and social upheaval, Matta-Clark’s work transcends mere documentation to become a commentary on the city’s crisis of identity, the destructive forces of gentrification, and the socio-economic divides exacerbated by capitalist practices. As a co-founder of Anarchitecture, Matta-Clark critiqued the architectural excesses and illusory materialization of the American dream through land ownership and the historical damage inflicted by modernist designs, viewing them as manifestations of capitalist ideology. Matta-Clark’s fascination with negative space, spontaneity, and the emergence of order from chaos is vividly expressed here through his engagement with the film medium. Utilizing a 16mm camera, he navigates the invisible layers of the city, capturing the essence of New York’s transformation and decay with a vision that mobile filmmaking could facilitate.

Substrait (Underground Dailies) is a great example of Matta-Clark’s critical yet casual reflection on urban growth, sustainability, and the collective right to the city—themes that continue to resonate in contemporary discourse.

Presented as the March 2024 edition of e-flux Film’s monthly series Staff Picks.

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