Collect Pond Art

One of the reasons I had to ride my bike over the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday was that I knew I would pass this Public Art Fund project I have been intending to see for a while. Outdoor art projects I have seen involving gardens or plants by the lesser-funded organizations have often let me down. I thought this one would be no different, but I was wrong. It actually looked good inside its walls. One reason may be that its creators actually build gardens and landscapes outside the practice of art.

The project is called A Clearing in the Streets and the artists are Julie Farris and Sarah Wayland-Smith. Collect Pond Park was the context and thanks to the art, I lingered in this space much longer than the park's condition suggests I should. Although the title describes a clearing in the street, I feel that it works set in this park because of the way the trees subtly register the notion of a "clearing" and because this park is in dismal contrast to the bright nature of their project.

The approach from the south.

The cylindrical frame works to objectify the plants within, intensifies our sense of separation from its contents and concentrates the sense of specimen and display.

The plants within the frame.

Printed on the side are the common-name species, although a few volunteers may have sprouted as well.

Click on these two signs for big, readable images.