El Anatsui *the Glory of Bottle Caps, Tin Lids, Twist Ties & more*

The El Anatsui exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum is stunning

and you have til August 18th to see it!

Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui

I enjoyed the John Singer Sargent watercolors, which were loose and lively, 

and as terrific as I expected them to be.

but

Thank you Melissa Stampley, for telling me not to miss Anatsui's exhibit on the 5th floor!

El Anatsui was born in Ghana and has been teaching and exhibiting his work for over 40 years.

He is the dept head at The University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

It was in 1998 that Anatsui came across a bag of twist-off liquor bottle caps which altered

his work and the course of his career.

At the 2007 Venice Biennale, his Fresh and Fading Memories, caused a sensation

draped upon Palazzo Fortuny's facade 

image courtesy thehighline.org

You can view his outdoor installation, Broken Bridge 2 on the High Line through September 2013.

More from the Brooklyn Museum...

Anatsui's individual pieces take on a different shape and form depending on 

the installation and space they are occupying.

Apparently, each can be folded up to fit inside a suitcase for travel :)

View The New York Times Slide Show and learn a bit more...

As much as I love the scale and impact of his work, I'm just crazy about the details. 

You can almost feel the process, the time & work that goes into each piece 

and of course, the colors grab you! 

In an interview with October Gallery, EL Anatsui noted, “The amazing thing about working with these metallic ‘fabrics’ is that the poverty of the materials used in no way precludes the telling of rich and wonderful stories."

It's pretty spectacular to see this in person, feel the scale and be part of the space, installation.

It will be up for about 2 more weeks. If you're in NYC, go see it!

:::

Here's a video interview with El Anatsui at the museum.

(worth a look, if only to see how his socks match his artwork)

El Anatsui is currently represented by Jack Shainman Gallery.

:: art is fun :: 

thanks for stopping by!

xo, A

The High Line & Leslie Wolf

Above is my friend, Leslie Wolf. I took great pains to find a photograph suitable for her profile here, since she has a habit of making funny faces! She is also quite modest, which is why I have not included one of her cool photos taken with Mayor Bloomberg. Oh well...

This is the High Line --Leslie Wolf was hired as the Program Manager for the Capitol Projects Division for NYC's Dept. of Parks & Recreation She was brought on specifically to facilitate the design and construction of the High Line. Her many years of experience managing large infrastructure projects working at New York's Transit Dept helped prepare her for this high profile undertaking.

The magnitude & complexity of this project required senior staff people like herself to ensure that design elements were not only aesthetically pleasing, but functional and able to be maintained in perpetuity. The selected team for the High Line was the landscape design firm James Corner Field Operations and the architecture firm Diller Scofidio & Renfro

Thought I'd add a quick plug for the Circle Line here. Had a perfect view and it is a really fun water tour around New York City :)

Chaise lounges-- a great idea, but hard to snag one!

The High Line has received a great deal of positive publicity and weekend attendance has reached over 35,000.

When choosing the variety of plants & flowers to plant they took into account how they will look as they grow-- overgrown concept, as if left to blossom into a wild garden through "abandoned" tracks on their own.

Yummy Ice Cream!!

The juxtaposition of urban landscape with nature is very pleasing. I love the flow of growth, great views of the Hudson River and the city streets.

Here is the window to 10th Avenue which acts as a virtual theater. Newly weds were having their photos taken with the city scene as their backdrop.

Below my friend, Stephanie (left) with Suzanne Eberhardt who I had not seen in years! She is a superb interior designer. If you have a minute, check out her site ;)

We met Michael with his precious daughter, who was very friendly! Here she is looking at my business card (after chewing it a little). He is Founder of Hands on Health. Thought I'd share in case you're in need of a licensed acupuncturist/nutritionist! Anyway, the High Line is a place where locals and tourists are at their best, easy going & simply enjoying the day :)

I asked Leslie what she was most proud of after completing this portion of the High Line. She said that before she came to Parks, she had been intrigued by it's history. She feels fortunate to to be part of such a high profile project, surrounded by universal excitement that has been received so well. "The day it opened, it actually exceeded expectations and it was gratifying to be part of a team that is giving something to the city. There was a visceral, emotional connection as the 1st people to see it gave their Thanks!"

I highly recommend stopping in for lunch, dinner or a drink at the nearby restaurant ThePark It is directly across from the High Line and has it's own beautiful outdoor garden, good food & nice staff :)

Leslie and her better half ;-) Michael met Stephanie and myself at The Park and we walked through the High Line at night. It has bit of a disco feel with the cool, violet lights.

Unfortunately dogs are not allowed, but wanted to share my pic of Leslie's adorable canine, Sugi. He's the nicest little guy around!

The High Line has a fascinating history and you can read endless amounts about it on their website and blog. As Leslie said, the 10 years it took for founders of "Friends of the High Line" Joshua David and Robert Hammond to make this all happen is practically lightning speed for any city project. It is a testament to their committment & passion that the High Line got such traction. It also helped that the Bloomberg administration took office and they were savy enough to advocate to them that this would act as an economic development generator. It has surely had a positive impact on residential and retail development so far.

The most positive thing about it is the experience of walking along this lovely old railway, now filled with beauty and pleasant people :)

I am very proud of my friend, Leslie and the hard work she put into ensuring the beauty, function & safety of the design!! You would be amazed by all the details that cannot be overlooked. There is some tweaking left to do on this, section 1 and section 2 is underway!