May 23, 2013
RE:CONSTRUCTION
Re:Construction is a public art program produced by the Downtown Alliance. This initiative channels the energy of Lower Manhattan's rebuilding process by recasting construction sites as canvases for innovative public art and architecture. Each project uses standard construction barriers to embrace the ongoing nature of Lower Manhattan's redevelopment with original and whimsical design. The Downtown Alliance works closely with public and private developers to produce each installation.
2011 Projects Currently Up for Viewing
Photo Credit: Kurt Langer
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Walks of Life - Claire Johnson (Church & Warren Streets)
Walks of Life captures the diverse faces of Lower Manhattan and portrays the mix of cultures, ages, genders and styles that can be seen at any given time. In this collection of moments frozen in time, the viewer can feel the vivaciousness and energy of New York City presented as a single snapshot. “The inspiration for Walks of Life came from the unique mix of people who live in downtown Manhattan, specifically in Tribeca,” says artist Claire Johnson. “I wanted to represent an extended community of people from all different walks of life in an image that layers them together with each other and with art, fashion and nature -- a representation of how we as New Yorkers are layered together into communities, neighborhoods and the city itself.”
Photo credit: Karin Bravin
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Drift - Rita MacDonald (24 John Street)
With Drift, artist Rita MacDonald takes her inspiration from a swatch of awning fabric and turns the stripe on its side to create a gesture of movement that mirrors the motion on the busy streets and sidewalks below. “I am interested,” she says, “in the connections and associations to place and time that simple patterns can hold.” The consultant on the project was Karin Bravin of BravinLee programs.
Photo credit: ARTEA Projects
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Aquatic Dream - Tatyana Murray (Hubert Street between Washington & Hudson Streets)
Tatyana Murray's Aquatic Dream runs in TriBeCa along the Department of Design and Construction's Hudson Street Reconstruction project on Hubert Street between Washington and Hudson streets. The piece is inspired by water's varied currents and light reflections. It's a universe in constant flux. Through the piece's movement and tones, one slowly dives into a meditative moment amid the grind of the city. Ayelet Danielle Aldouby and Elinor Milchan of ARTEA Projects served as curators and consultants for the piece.
Photo credit: Jason Chiusano
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Life, Actually - Kinga Czerska (50 West Street)
Life, Actually by artist Kinga Czerska borders the Time Equities Inc. construction site at 50 West Street, and runs along the site's three facades, on West, J.P. Ward, and Washington Streets. Originally composed of three separate works, each with a different color variation inspired by a different element of nature, the three merge to create a holistic, puzzle-like composition. Czerska intends the work’s intensely structured surface to make use of the elemental, geometric forms to seek an order for the world around her, which is at times chaotic, yet at the same time graceful, precise, elegant, and balanced. The project was curated by Ayelet Danielle Aldouby and Elinor Milchan of ARTEA Projects.
Photo Credit: Maya Barkai
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Walking Men 99™ 2nd Edition – Maya Barkai (new 2011 edition at 99 Church Street)
Driven from the associative vocabulary of urban circulation and metropolitan life, the “walking man” figure is an international celebrity that appears in various forms in cities around the world, transcending all cultures and languages. Printed in human scale, the “walking men” come to life as they are juxtaposed with one another, taking on a newly charged global and symbolic metaphor. The individual images were assembled in a collaborative process with professional and amateur photographers from around the world via www.walking-men.com, as part of Barkai’s Walking Men Worldwide Initiative™. The project is a cultural representation and a subjective interpretation of our urban identity.
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WardWalk (Phase 1) - Omnivore, Popular Architecture and L'Observatoire International (MTA Battery Parking Garage)
WardWalk illuminates the vital pedestrian connection between the east and west sides of Lower Manhattan. The elevated, twisting ribbon above the pedestrian passageway in the Battery Parking Garage and alongside J.P. Ward Street was designed by Omnivore with Popular Architecture and L’Observatoire International. Phase 1 was installed in the Fall of 2011, and Phase 2 will complete the installation in 2012. Please click here for more information.
2010 Projects Currently Up for Viewing
Photo credit: Richard Pasquarelli
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Secret Gardens – Richard Pasquarelli (Chambers Street)
Presented with the challenge of creating an art installation for a construction barricade 5 feet high by 1000 feet long, artist Richard Pasquarelli imagined a scene that would contrast with a seemingly endless expanse of concrete and wire. As a jogger, he often caught glimpses of small private gardens hidden behind fences, hedges and ivy-covered walls. By introducing these spaces into an urban environment, he hopes to capture the imagination of viewers and transport them to a more serene and fantastical world. Secret Gardens was produced in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation’s Urban Art Program. Image courtesy of the artist and BravinLee Programs.
Photo credit: Ayelet Danielle Aldouby
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Star Sun Burst – Tatyana Murray (Hudson Street between Franklin Street & Ericsson Place)
Star Sun Burst is inspired by the Manhattan sky. It plays directly off the surrounding environment, picking up on the changes and nuances of the weather and time of day. The glowing effects of the reflective ropes are reminiscent of natural light strokes. The installation constantly evolves, depending on the placement of the sun and its intensity, giving the piece a life of its own.
"From the moment I got off the plane in 1994, my first time in New York City, I was struck by the brilliant white and blue light of the sky," said Murray, a London native. "Since this seminal moment, light has played an essential role in my work." Danielle Aldouby and Elinor Michlan of ARTEA Projects served as curators for the piece.
2009 Projects Currently Up for Viewing
Photo credit: Nina Bovasso
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Botanizing on the Asphalt – Nina Bovasso (Hudson River Park)
BravinLee programs' presentation of Botanizing on the Asphalt covers 400 feet of concrete jersey barriers at Hudson River Park, creating a lush, wild landscape. Nina Bovasso's signature flowers and dense colorful imagery have been printed onto a 3M graphic film that adheres to textured surfaces using heat and pressure. Passersby can view the intense and euphoric explosions of color and form along the West Street Bikeway with the Hudson River serving as a spectacular backdrop.
Photo credit: Caitlin Hurd
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Flying Animals – Caitlin Hurd (99 Washington Street)
Displayed courtesy of ARTEA Projects on the corner of Washington and Rector Streets, Caitlin Hurd's Flying Animals is inspired by suburban and rural landscapes and domesticity to symbolically weigh the promises of happiness and predictability against everyday's complicated realities. The mural aims to create a contrast between the hectic city and the tranquility of rural life.
Past Projects (no longer available for viewing)
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