The installation Exquisite Corpse by artist Fanny Allié. Images courtesy of the artist.
In the course of the day, how many parks do pedestrians pass by, cut through, or take a break on a bench to have a coffee or check email? It could be a pocket-park in Midtown, a small neighborhood park or Central Park, but each day, thousands take advantage of our green space. Do we take advantage of the company of those sitting around us, or even ever wonder who they are or where they came from. Artist, Fanny Allié created an interactive sculpture, set in a triangular park, that has raised heads from newspapers, books, and cell phones. Unplugged ear buds from ears, and slowed to a halt those that are just passing through, with her installation Exquisite Corpse, in her quest for dialogue.
The installation took form when Allié spent time in Putnam Triangle Plaza, getting to know some of the people who had lived there for years, with stories to tell about the changing landscape and the every-changing faces they saw in their park everyday. Allié photographed long-time residents, creating life-sized black and white portraits of each. The portraits were cut and displayed on four blocks of a rotating sculpture, that change whenever the cube shifts, mixing heads, hands and feet, as the cubes shifted left and right.
New portraits will be added to the 90″ high sculpture every three months, opening the park to a new dimension – conversation about a changing neighborhood, engaging old-time residents with those who hope to someday become old-time residents. Exquisite Corpse is presented by New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), A.I.R. Gallery, and the Clinton Hill community.
The installation, Exquisite Corpse, by artist Fanny Allié, will be on view at Putnam Triangle Plaza, Fulton Street and Grand Avenue in Clinton, Hill, Brooklyn, to March 2018.
Be sure to visit Fanny Allié at the Brooklyn Art Book Fair (BKABF), with Eyelevel BQE. The event is free and open to the public. McCarren Park Play Center & Pool, May 19-20. Follow the Event on Facebook.