Meatpacking District Construction Site Art: "Crystalline Time"

There's a new light projection public art at a construction site in the Meatpacking District across from the Standard Hotel. "Crystalline Time" is a 15-foot tall artwork featuring blue and purple trapezoids stretching more than 100 feet across the façade of 837 Washington Street, a future retail and office building near the High Line. The light projection art is created by Chris Jordan and the marketing agency DBOX. It was selected by developers Thor Equities and Taconic Investment Partners.

"Downtown Dogs" - Construction Site Art by Malin Abrahamsson

Downtown Dogs is a construction site artwork inspired by the children’s game "Pass the Pigs", a board game using little pigs as die. Scores are left to chance and depend on the way the pigs land on the board. Using the game as a starting point, Abrahamsson substituted the figurines with dogs, an animal dear to her but also one that’s more commonly encountered in the city. Intended to liven up the streetscape with its playful graphics and vibrant colors, the work serves as a reminder to all hard-working New Yorkers to always leave some time for play, but also, of the infinite and unpredictable chances that the city offers. Located at Grand and Lafayette Streets in downtown Manhattan, the 250-foot mural is printed on mesh and covers a 12-foot-tall wire fence.

"Commercial art, graphic design, and underground street art—originally three separate visual practices—become one in the playful and bold graphic creation Downtown Dogs," Abrahamsson said. “Not only do I enjoy to take my art practice outside of the studio, but the collaborative aspect of a project like this is incredibly rewarding as well, “I hope this piece will be a bit of a colorful surprise to those who happen upon it: that would be the ultimate reward."

“Hundreds of feet beneath the streets of NYC is one of the city’s largest capital projects ever undertaken—the construction of City Water Tunnel No. 3,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway. “This vital project improves the entire water supply system for more than eight million city residents by providing an invaluable redundancy to our water supply. Though absolutely necessary, construction sites aren’t exactly pretty. But now, because of a new artwork installation—Downtown Dogs by Malin Abrahamsson—that covers the construction site of a shaft tunnel, residents and visitors alike will be treated to a colorful and unexpected “treat” that will no doubt give them “paws.” It all adds up to a more beautiful and vibrant Lower Manhattan Community. I want to thank Downtown Alliance for helping to bring this wonderful artwork to the site.”

"Life, Actually" - Construction Site Art By Kinga Czerska

Life, Actually is a public art installation that borders the Time Equities Inc. construction site at 50 West Street, and runs along West, J.P. Ward and Washington streets. Crated by Polish artist Kinga Czerska, the piece is an interpretation of the phases and dynamics of relationships. The mural includes three swirling, colorful segments, each inspired by a different stage and evoked emotions in relationships: The Beginning; Transitions; and Acceptance. The vibrant composition, interspersed with calming open spaces, reflects the varied emotional states that are integral to relationships, whether with a partner, through career or family, or simply with ourselves.

This art installation is part of "Re: Construction", a public art program produced by The Downtown Alliance. The project is curated by Ayelet Daniele Aldouby and Elinor Milchan of ARTEA Projects.

Construction Site Art: "RENDERING LEONARD" by Helen Dennis

RENDERING LEONARD  is a public art installation created by artist Helen Dennis along the 200 ft of plywood wall that surround 56 Leonard Street (corner Church Street) in downtown Manhattan. It is part of the Downtown Alliance Re:Construction public art program initiative. 

From the caption of the installation:

Dennis’ work portrays ghostly traces of the surrounding urban environment around Leonard Street and beyond. Through layers of hand-rendered drawings exposed onto photographic paper, Helene manages to capture the energy of the City and it’s constant state of flux. The large scale of the work physically immerses the viewer into a portrait of New York and the urban architectural environment across the Downtown area. Through her continuous study of the metropolis that surrounds us, Helene Dennis offers us a complete 3 dimensional vision of the city’s kinetic energy. Her unique technique sits on the boundary of photography and drawing. She introduces layers of intense fine white lines, which build up the image before the viewer. These architectural renderings are then introduced to the photographic process in a similar way that one would use a negative. The result challenges the conventional reading of a photographic image and enhances the infinite traces that compose the City.