Police Dog and Man

 

A policeman works with his police dog at a park near my place. Did I already publish this?

 

My husband adjusting the tilt of this big rock in Central Park.

Just a few blocks from my apartment in Long Island City, I came across this sculpture of the iconic photograph "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper". It was parked in front of an old warehouse which I have learned is the home studio of a famous tile painter, Sergio Furnari. This artist is known world-wide for his large scale hand-painted tile art for high end swimming pools.

He has painted and created pool tiles for private homes and upscale hotels in places like Beverly Hills, the Hamptons, and the Caribbean islands. His latest work will be in Dubai, and according to his website, and will be the largest swimming pool in the world.

I learned that he spent one year working on the above sculpture which was completed a week after 9/11. So he drove it to the clean-up site where it sat for several months to encourage the workers.

I'm guessing that many of these old warehouses near me house studios of artists doing amazing things. I'll keep you informed.

Ivy and Brick

During a walk in Long Island City yesterday, I came across this group of old warehouses covered in ivy. I noticed the ivy had been deliberately planted on the sidewalk along the building. The ivy was neatly trimmed to be clear of the windows and doors, and the structures on either side were free of it, too. Turns out it's owned by a company called The Plant Specialists.

Back home, I looked up the company on the web. So I shot off an email asking how long it had taken the ivy to get to that stage. The owner wrote back immediately and said, 

"it was planted in mid 1980s as purely an aesthetic thing
this was a very depressing neighborhood back then
it looks great but really is not good for the old brick?"

That's exactly what he said.

Weird Art, Part 5

 

What would be more audibly entertaining than being in the first row of a great concert? How about if you could get on the stage and walk around listening to each and every person singing? That's what this exhibit was all about at the PS 1 MoMA Museum in my neighborhood of Long Island City.

When I entered the room, I was a little annoyed that people at the other end were talking so much that I couldn't hear what was coming out of the speakers. Then I realized that the talking was coming from the speakers. All of a sudden, things got quiet. Then the most amazing acapella singing flowed from the speakers. You could walk around the room and hear each individual singer as if you standing next to him (it was a boys' choir). I loved this exhibit for its creativity and pure listening pleasure.

Weird Art, Part 4 -- Burritos

As you enter this exhibit at the PS 1 MoMA Museum in Long Island City, it appears to be an empty room painted white. Then you notice two burritos sitting on the window sill side by side. (I'm told that some days the burritos are stacked.) The installation is titled something like "Chicken and Beef Burritos."

I want my $10 admission back.

On the other hand, it made me laugh, and I have a good story to tell. Maybe I should have paid more.

Weird Art, Part 3 -- Sit with Cats

The PS 1 MoMA Museum in Long Island City an old school house that's been converted into a space for contemporary art installations.

One exhibit was a room with a sofa and three cats. The cats were all available for adoption and were replaced with other adoptable cats if someone took one of them home. A donation of $100 was the only prerequisite to owning your own piece of art from the PS 1 MoMA Museum!

The next room housed a very large iguana in a very large cage. It was not getting as much attention as the cat. His (her?) big eyes followed me all around the cage.

Contemporary art evokes emotion. Most often, I think, it's shock. Sometimes it's anger that you spent the price of admission to see THAT. But as I reflect on this particular exhibit, I just felt sad for these little creatures.