The High Line Plinth will showcase public art as a gathering spot in the park’s newest section
Image by James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, courtesy of the City of New York.
The Spur, the last section of the High Line, extending east along 30th Street and ending above 10th Avenue, is scheduled to open in 2019. Unlike other sections of the park which are more linear and perfect for strolling, this section will feature a large-scale plaza for public programming and art and areas for seating and gathering. Anchoring the new section will be the High Line Plinth. As Designboom reports, the Plinth will be one of the only sites in New York City with the purpose of featuring a rotating series of new contemporary public art commissions.
The concept was inspired by the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. Artists will have a unique platform for inspiring the public due to the scale and high visibility the new addition. Surrounded by open space with sweeping vistas all around, art pieces that are selected for the High Line Plinth will become part of the cityscape. Each work will remain in place for 18 months.
The inaugural High Line Plinth commission will be Simone Leigh’s “Brick House,” which will be unveiled at the opening of the Spur. The work was chosen by an international advisory committee of artists, curators, and art world professionals who submitted recommendations for artists who were then invited to submit a proposal. “Brick House” will remain on view through September 2020.
[Via Designboom]
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Images courtesy of Friends of the High Line except where noted.