Best of 2014: Danh Vo's "We the People"

Danh Vo, "We the People""

Last Spring, as Brooklyn Bridge Park continued to round into shape, a series of seemingly unfinished sculptures arose to complement the unfinished park. In fact, the enormous copper fragments are the artist Danh Vo's full-scale re-creation of 13 pieces of the Statue of Liberty's right sleeve. Situated on the incomplete Pier 3 upland portion of the park, Vo's creations are juxtaposed against views of the original, visible in the distance across the water. Examined up close, the new pieces bare all, affording visitors a look at the interior scaffolding and the unpolished copper within, as well as the rivets employed to hold the surface together.

Vo began the project--entitled "We the People"--in 2010, tasking a Shanghai fabricator to faithfully reproduce the original Lady Liberty in 250 distinct parts. Thanks to the Public Art Fund, about 20% of the project is on display through tomorrow (12/5), split between Brooklyn Bridge Park and City Hall. The remaining sections are scattered among public and private venues in more than 15 countries. It is Vo's intent that the disparate parts never be combined into a unified replica of the statue. Rather, they should be considered as individual elements in distinct contexts. Scroll down for a few more views of the pieces currently situated at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Rockaway Recovery, Part 1: Head to the Beach!

It's been seven months since Sandy destroyed much of the Queens shoreline, and fire decimated Breezy Point. Foundations are all that remain of many homes, as the debris has long since disappeared. Sheets of sand cover traces of driveways and front yards, and blue tarps still stitch together gaping roofs.

Sandy's waterline is still visible throughout the beachfront community.

But rebirth and recovery are the prevalent themes everywhere you look. Rebuilding proceeds apace, and the streets are dotted with contractors' placards and wooden "Stars of Hope," sent by well-wishers around the country and nailed to telephone poles.

"Star of Hope" in Breezy Point, Queens

Rockaway Beach is back, trailed ever so slightly by a very new--and very sturdy--concrete boardwalk, handsomely detailed with crushed glass aggregate of blues and greens.

A utilitarian, but cheerily-painted, brick concession stand sits on the upland edge of the boardwalk, evidently still under construction. Undoubtedly the Rockaway Beach Club vendors are anxiously tracking its progress in the hopes of soon returning.

Opposite the concession stands, a galvanized steel structure has been erected, still adorned in shrink wrap and awaiting the rest of the sun shades that have begun to form a canopy.

Along the east end of the boardwalk, we stumbled upon two exquisite alien life forms... a couple of modular beach structures designed by DUMBO's Garrison Architects. Merely a half year ago, NYC selected Garrison to design and build 37 such buildings as part of the reconstruction of the city's beaches most damaged by the storm. They will be used as lifeguard stations, comfort stations and offices, all easily accessible by ramp from the boardwalks. The prefabricated buildings were sized to travel to their sites on the backs of flat bed trucks. Once there, they were fastened to a series of concrete piles, ensuring that the stations would be elevated above FEMA storm surge levels. As further defense against the elements, the buildings are constructed with a galvanized steel super frame, bolted to the concrete piles, and clad with high-grade stainless steel and glass-fiber reinforced concrete (what looks like wood siding in the photos below). Reported to be net-zero energy users, the stations feature rain screens and double-ventilated roofs, natural lighting through clerestories, skylights and reflective louvers, natural ventilation, and photovoltaic solar arrays to offset energy consumption.

A corrugated stainless steel outer skin is perforated at the roof, providing thermally-efficient ventilation of the enclosure. In the second photo below, you can see that the sheathing--which will eventually continue across the underside of the building--is attached to the structure with steel zee-clips.

The corrugated metal sheathing traces the edge of the galvanized steel super frame.

Detail of lower corner, with glass-fiber-reinforced concrete siding, galvanized frame, and corrugated cladding

View of concrete piles anchored to the shore

Though we traveled by car, the subway lines have recently reopened to Rockaway Beach. To get there, take the A Train to Far Rockaway/Mott Avenue. At the last stop, transfer to the S line, taking it towards Rockaway Park/Beach 116th Street. Get out at Beach 98th Street, and walk south towards the beach.

Yeah Yeah Yeah! The Great GoogaMooga Has Landed.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs closing out their explosive set at the Great GoogaMooga 2013 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Year Two of the Great GoogaMooga food/drink/music festival kicked off with a bang last night at the Nethermead in Prospect Park, and will run through tomorrow evening. After last year's semi-fiasco, in which lines and vendors short on stock prevented many in attendance from actually enjoying themselves, dozens upon dozens of local food vendors--including Red Hook Lobster Pound, Roberta's and Mile End--are making sure that festival-goers will not leave hungry this year. At last night's opener, the lines were reasonable, and the food was good--if often overpriced (e.g. $10 for a small bowl of crawfish pasta). Most food dishes seem to be priced between $8 and $12. For me, the two standouts were a deliciously juicy, buttery truffle burger from Umami Burger (now in NYC), and the always-stellar chicken from Dirty Bird To Go. The concession stands feature a decent selection of beer and wine, but if your tendencies run toward hydroplaning, you can purchase tickets to sample a smattering of offerings from around the globe in the beer and wine tents.

So. All of that was great. But the real reason I dragged Maura there was to--finally!--catch my favorite band in the world live and in concert. After an atmospheric, typically idiosyncratic set by the Flaming Lips (with groovy sets that couldn't be wholly appreciated before nightfall), Brooklyn's own Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the stage in front of a packed meadow. Karen O and her wailing electric guitar of a voice brought the house down with bandmates Nick Zinner, Animal from The Muppets (aka Brian Chase), and occasionally David Pajo on guitar and keys. They hit the ground running, employing the phenomenal Broadway Inspirational Voices gospel choir for the opening number, "Sacrilege"--the lead single from their latest album. For an idea of the effect, check out their performance last month on Letterman:



The whole show was pure energy, from an enormous, inflated, Flaming Lips-esque bouncing eyeball, to the moment when Karen passed the mic through the crowd for the bridge of "Cheated Hearts," and through to the super-charged encore of "Date with the Night," which concluded with the unquestionable destruction of said microphone. 

When it was all said and done, the crowd was able to disperse quickly and peacefully, much to our delight... and another reason we will return to the new-and-improved GoogaMooga, perhaps as early as tomorrow. De La Soul, here we come!

Orly Genger's Incredible "Red, Yellow and Blue"

This month, the Madison Square Park Conservancy unveiled a massively ambitious installation by the New York artist Orly Genger. Genger has crocheted 50 tons of lobster-fishing rope (which took two years for her team to clean) to create three open-air rooms spread throughout the park, each saturated in paint with a different primary color. The walls suggest a grainier, softer and more vibrant counterpoint to Richard Serra's monumental Cor-Ten works. "Red, Yellow and Blue" immerses itself in the landscape, diving into and emerging from the earth, weaving around the trees to form intimate spaces under the park's canopy. This beautiful creation definitely warrants a trip to the park. Luckily, it will remain there through Labor Day, so there's still plenty of time.

Love and Respect to the End: MCA Gets a Park in Brooklyn

Last Friday, a day before the first anniversary of the passing of Adam Yauch, Brooklyn officially renamed Palmetto Playground in his honor. The raspiest, most meditative Beastie Boy grew up nearby and learned to ride a bike in this park. Nestled against the BQE near the western end of Atlantic Avenue, the park features basketball courts, play equipment, a dog run and a community garden. I took a stroll through the reborn park on Saturday...

Fans had already seized the opportunity to pay tribute and express their gratitude in their own way, decorating the pavement and planter walls with lyrics, thank-you notes and personal anecdotes.

A fan named Emma left the most stirring note:

If you would like to support the park, please consider making a donation to NYC Parks in MCA's honor.

The Bridge Is Over (Bounce Remix)

View of Squibb Park Bridge from the Fruit Street Sitting Area

Seven weeks ago, Squibb Park Bridge opened, connecting pedestrians from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. While referring to the bridge as a shortcut would be disingenuous (the walk down Columbia Heights takes about the same amount of time), the path to the water is now indisputably more beautiful. Designed by Ted Zoli of HNTB, the $5 million multi-span bridge utilizes a trail bridge-inspired steel cable and timber truss beneath the deck, lending the bridge a certain bounce. If you're prone to motion sickness, take your Dramamine... you can really feel it on a busy day:



Just to reiterate: the bridge was designed to sway, so any fear of a pedestrian-scale echo of the "Galloping Gertie" disaster would be completely unfounded... I hope.

Beginning at the Squibb Park playground, the zig-zagging Sigma-shaped bridge is supported by a series of concrete piers at each turn, before eventually coming to rest on an embankment in the park. Black Locust, which is naturally rot resistant, was used for both the planks and the timber comprising the bridge sections. Each of these sections was prefabricated, and left to wait on site well past the bridge's targeted opening last Fall. This was a look at the newly-assembled sections in October:

While all of this was under construction, there was a momentary call to pay tribute to the late Adam Yauch (MCA of the Beastie Boys) by renaming the park in his honor. A more suitable spot was dedicated to Yauch (more on this soon), and the park remains dedicated to the legacy of Edward Squibb, the pharmaceutical pioneer whose lab once occupied this area.

From the Promenade, visitors may now access Squibb Park via a newly-repaved and fully accessible ramp. The park sits at approximately the same elevation as the northbound lanes of the BQE.

Standing in the park (largely a hard-court playground), the visitor encounters a sweeping view of the harbor, Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Upon leaving the playground, pavement gives way underfoot to the warmth and richness of the Black Locust planks. Spanning the 8-foot width of the bridge, the deck is lined with 2" x 4" guard rails.

In a gesture to the timber and steel cable railings strung throughout Brooklyn Bridge Park, the bridge railings are formed by tension cable and steel mesh spanning between Black Locust rail posts.

The rugged and utilitarian details work well, I think, especially in the context of the park. And it is a trail bridge, after all. Even so, there a few moments where the craftsmanship lands on the wrong side of the line between ad hoc and shoddy, such as in the guard rail detail below. Several of the planks have already begun to split, as well.

And then you look up, and all of that recedes when you're greeted with this:

With an assist from the afternoon sun, a glance backwards reveals more of the bridge than you could otherwise see while crossing.

From below, the structure seems a supine spine. Robust galvanized steel nodes connect the timber members of the truss. The little yellow pads extending from the lower nodes are grooved to guide the steel tension cables tracing the frame's bottom chords.

Tree-like three-pronged concrete piers extend skyward to capture the sections and bring them together. Electrical conduits run beneath the platform and follow the bridge, providing power for linear path lights integrated into the handrails.

As the bridge nears the park, it dives into the earth. The visitor then encounters the choice to exit by way of a concrete staircase to the north or a meandering ramp to the south, both of which spill onto the bicycle and pedestrian path.

The bridge's western terminus, looking north towards the Brooklyn Bridge

Detail of a smaller concrete pier, with timber supports anchored with galvanized plates

Stepping outside the park, one quickly apprehends the treacherous terrain the bridge bypasses. Furman Street runs north-south from Fulton Street to Atlantic Avenue, witnessing a decent number of impatient motorists skipping the double-yellow to outpace a plodding City Sights bus.

View from Furman Street looking north

It must be said that the bridge will eventually feel much less lonely than it looks below. Once the vegetation begins to fully sprout, it is my sincere hope that we'll get something approximating Ewok Village, as the bridge threads through the treetops. Most likely it will seem more like a dash of Endor with a little High Line splashed in. The two vacant sites flanking the bridge will soon be home to 100,000 of hotel, residential and retail use, as part of the city's public-private partnership plan to make the park financially self-sustaining. For a look at Rogers Marvel's competition-winning renderings of the Starwood/Toll Brothers project, click here.

View across Furman Street to the northwest

One final note--over Memorial Day weekend, New Yorkers will be greeted with the launch of the city's first (and long-awaited) bike-sharing program, brought to you by Citi (pricing and maps can be found here). Docking stations have already been installed near the beginning and end of the bridge, as well as as in more than 300 locations throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan (Queens, Bronx and SI residents are out of luck till the full roll-out). Of course, it wouldn't be New York without a little complaining, but the new program has already drawn fire from residents, businesses... and cyclists?! Regardless, I'm optimistic that once the wrinkles are ironed out, this will be a net good for the city.

Expectant CitiBike racks at the Fruit Street Sitting Area

That's all for now, but stay tuned for updates... with more vegetation!