Floating Island Art Exhibit Off Manhattan

1010 WINS NEW YORK ^ | Sep 17, 2005 8:32 am US/Eastern | 1010wins

[Calpernia]

There's something unusual floating in the waters off Manhattan.

Thirty-five years after it was first thought of -- artist Robert Smithson's ``Floating Island'' is a barge covered with soil, trees, shrubs and rocks, led by a tugboat. It will along the Hudson and East rivers beginning today.

Smithson was one of the most significant artists of the 1960s, who was very interested in exploring nature and landscapes, and how they were constructed. He came up with ``Floating Island'' in 1970 and unsuccessfully tried to bring it to life. He died in 1973 at age 35 after a plane crash.

For the floating island, a 30-foot-by-90-foot flat barge forms the base. It's covered with hay bales, trees, shrubs, soil, and a few rocks borrowed from Central Park. Smithson's original drawing featured a weeping willow and trees native to New York. Among the trees are red maples, beeches, and bur oaks. The trees will be planted in Central Park afterward.

[Calpernia]

I have gardens. Does this mean I qualify for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts?

[SAJ]

Not terribly different from the NYC ''garbage barge'', famed in the 1970s.

[Calpernia]

Ping

LOL

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I sure hope this wasn't tax funded. If it was, then we should put a trailor on the 'island' for NOLA victims and make it functional. Of course, a log cabin would be more aesthetic.

Actually, I've seen worse. When you drive by the bay near SanFransicko, you see garbage that was 'rahabbed' into 'art'. The only problem is, it still looks like garbage. Painted tires, etc. The idea was, if you turn garbage into 'art', it reduces the growth of landfills. But this 'art' looks so much like a junkpile that people get confused and throw their trash there.

[Calpernia]

I've see the rehab garbage art. ::rolls eyes::

I went on the nea.gov site. They have a 'katrina efforts' announcement that they put together with FEMA.

amusing.