To a Great City (and magnificence)

Whilst prowling the corridors of ITP yesterday, I chanced upon a second great project by the Guggenheim: stillspotting ( ) nyc.

The current iteration is located in the borough of Manhattan and features a collaboration between composer Arvo Pärt and the New York City and Oslo-based architectural firm Snøhetta.

Five sites have been selected, each with a musical piece and one or some large weather balloons installed at them. Each provide space for contemplation and slowing down.

The magazine at Fort Jay, Governors Island

Fort Jay, Governors Island

Fort Jay, Governors Island

The labyrinth at the Battery

At the Woolworth Building

7 World Trade Center

Each of the locations were something special in their own right – you can see a slideshow of all my photos – and the addition of gorgeous compositions resulted in some moving experiences.

Several times I was also aware of how we looked from the outside – particularly at those sites where the musical accompaniment was secret to us, listened to via headphones.

It brought to mind recent conversation with Hannah Nicklin about creating ‘magnificent moments’, but I’m still trying to decide if these were they or not…