NYC Unveils Massive New Sculpture for Manhattan Public Plaza

by Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press, September 14, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) — It's tough for a new landmark to stand out in New York City, so the developer behind a cluster of skyscrapers rising near the Hudson River raised eyebrows when he boasted that the project would be anchored by a monumental sculpture that would be the city's Eiffel Tower.

After months of secrecy and speculation, plans for the work of public art were unveiled Wednesday. And while the price tag of the sculpture by British designer Thomas Heatherwick was a big-league $150 million, only time will tell whether New Yorkers will embrace the 150-foot-tall work of art, dubbed "Vessel."

The concrete and steel structure, which looks like an inverted honeycomb, will stand in a 5-acre public plaza on Manhattan's west side.

People will be able to climb it. The design has a latticework of 154 interconnected flights of stairs and 80 platforms.

It is 50 feet across at the base and 150-feet wide at the top.

Developer Stephen Ross, of The Related Companies, wasn't backing off of his statements that the sculpture could join the pantheon of great urban landmarks, Eiffel Tower included.

"That was the whole idea of what I had in my mind." he told The Associated Press. "What would create something that would be truly remarkable, that would be unique?"

Heatherwick, whose other projects include the cauldron for the 2012 Olympics in London, said the sculpture "is the ultimate seeing-each-other device," since people climbing it would be able to see others on other platforms as well as those down below.

"We're thrilled and excited and amazed that the project's really happening," he said. "It's a very different kind of commission than we've ever worked on before."

The public square where "Vessel" will stand is planned as an outdoor venue for performances and art exhibits, with landscaping that includes 28,000 plants, including more than 200 trees. It's expected to be open to the public in 2018. Heatherwick said construction of the components already has begun in Italy.

The project, located near the northern terminus of another new New York City landmark, the High Line elevated park, was met with enthusiasm from public art advocates.

"Over the course of the last decade, monumental public art installations have become part of New York City's celebrated cultural landscape," said Susan Freedman, president of Public Art Fund, which puts on art exhibitions all over the city. She said she's sure Heatherwick's piece "will become an instant landmark, capturing the imagination of people of all ages and backgrounds."

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This article was written by Deepti Hajela from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.