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Photos by Andrew Markey
In Midtown, Manhattan, the Ford Foundation Building provides a lush green space where the public can escape the frenzy of NYC life. The atrium houses a garden with nearly 40 species of plants, a reflecting pool, and a reverberating fountain that permits guests to hear the garden around them. Designed in 1963 by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo, the indoor public garden is a calming treat for our senses, and a welcoming nirvana for all visitors.
A new art installation is lighting up the Garment District! The interactive piece, called “Passage,” consists of twenty glowing rings that react with swirling color and sound as people pass through them. The artist, Serge Maheu, has a background in engineering, and is adept at creating artworks that use his technical skills in creative ways. This work was conceived as a meditation on the idea of transition and change, drawing on ideas of “passage in reference to the enigmatic moment between life and death.” Sponsored by the Québec Government Office in New York, the installation will only be in place for a few weeks, but in that time, it will bring color and fun to the chilly nights in midtown.
The Flag Project at Rockefeller Center features 193 flags flying from the Rock Center parade of poles, all “celebrating in some way the energy, diversity, culture, strength, and resilience of our city.” Artists including Jeff Koons, KAWS, Jenny Holzer, and Marina Abramovic contributed site-specific works for the show but most of the designs were created by the public after an open call for submissions. More than a thousand entries from all over the world were submitted. The flags will be displayed until August 16, so you may need to hurry. This is one time where you can actually walk through Rockefeller Center without having to fight your way through tourists and TV executives. Wait, we actually miss that. Sigh.
