Spooky Public Art

Kurt and I have the opportunity to see/experience many public artworks because we live in New York city. Since I saw Kathryne Hall's work at the recent conference, I've been thinking a lot about public art.



We experienced The Gates, a site-specific art installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, "experience" being the definitive word. Another recent artwork that we loved was called The Encampment and took place on Roosevelt Island. It was transformative.



First you took a train, then the Tramway, then we walked past spookily lit old hospital buildings, to be met by a field of a hundred of tents, a unique private experience in each tent about the days of Bedlam. One was of a Civil War soldier's dying, another of Billy Holiday's incarceration as a girl. You could see both sides of the river, Manhattan on one, Brooklyn on the other.It was only open at night and it was mysterious and moving.




The Encampment was a project that erected 100 illuminated expedition-style tents on the south point of NYC's Roosevelt Island from 5-7 October 2007 Created by Thom Sokoloski.