ShapeShifter Lab Finds New Home, New Voices & New Opportunities

Nestled between small shops and laundromats on Union Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, sits the latest location of the performance space ShapeShifter Lab, a familiar name with a new location.  Originally located in Gowanus, Brooklyn, ShapeShifter Lab first began in 2011. Co-owners, Matthew Garrison and Fortuna Sung work together as creative director and business partner respectively, to deliver innovative and quality performances to audiences.

Matthew Garrison / photo by Fortuna Sung / courtesy of Shapeshifter Lab

Garrison, bass player and son of Jimmy Garrison, bassist for John Coltrane, and Sung, a Hong Kong native who has been exposed to music from an early age with her parents both in the arts industry, spoke to Brooklyn Roads about the venue and the upcoming possibilities for musical creation that artists have to look forward to at the ShapeShifter Lab. With many years as a successful touring musician Garrison and the team at the lab have designed the space with versatility in sound, lighting and layout, using state-of-the-art equipment that can be tailored to each artist.

Fortuna Sung / photo courtesy of ShapeShifter Lab

“We work with all genres and that is not an understatement,” said Garrison. “As the artistic director I’m particularly interested in music and artistic expression as a whole. I’m also a musician and have worked in every field, style, genre imaginable therefore it comes natural to want to portray all styles as vital to our mission.”

The original location of the event space being in Gowanus became an alternative for high costs in Manhattan, even dating back to 2011, as well as the ability for Garrison and Sung to work close to home. The reasoning also stood for the move to its new location in Park Slope this past Spring.  Garrison credits the driving force for the initial creation of this space to his and Sung’s parents, who immersed their involvement in the  arts.

“Our fathers and mothers gave us a strong foundation and desire to want to help create a community of like minded thinkers, creators and explorers,” said Garrison.  As ShapeShiter Lab is constantly offering events from live music, to wellness courses in their yoga studio, Garrison provides insightful recommendations to ambitious artists looking for performance spaces.  “1. Bring your most forward thinking, cutting edge ideas. 2. Come present ‘events’ at ShapeShifter Lab, not ‘gigs.’ The room is large capacity so present a record release, propose special projects launching something new, make your project a party.”