"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.”