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| The High Line |
A must-see installation this summer is Sarah Sze’s sculpture,
Still Life with Landscape (Model for a Habitat), on the High Line’s newly opened Section 2, which extends from West 20
th to West 30
th Streets in Manhattan. Sze’s piece is between West 20
th and West 21
st Streets. Constructed in stainless steel, wood, paint and concrete, the work features birdhouses suspended along its metallic web. The viewer interacts with the sculpture by walking between the two pieces which line each side of the elevated walkway. This avian housing project provides food, shelter and water for birds, butterflies and insects and is a clever architectural experiment in synthesizing our habitat with nature.
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| North-facing view |
When you face north on the High Line, take note of how the piece on your right (east side of the path) interacts with the vertical landscape behind it. Sze’s work draws your eye up to the roof life of the brick building that serves as a backdrop. The birdhouses echo the shapes of the building’s turrets.
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| South-facing view |
The other half of the piece that is best viewed when you face south (west side of the walkway) lacks the dynamic engagement that you see on the other side, but nevertheless provides the essential complement to it.
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| Detail of sculpture |
Be sure to look closely for signs of wildlife as I saw several birds on the sculpture and observe how the human visitors engage with this fascinating work. One viewer commented that the birdhouses were the new rental apartments for this volatile economy.
Still Life with Landscape (Model for a Habitat)
on view through June, 2012
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