(Video link here.) While walking in a nearby park one frigid day, I noticed that a sheer wall of ice had formed on the bedrock that rises up to make Mount Morris in New York City’s Harlem. It appeared to be alive. When I looked closely I saw its shimmering movement was due to water sliding down the stone face behind the ice, a rather astonishing “found” kinetic sculpture. (It’s a whole other experience with sound than without.)

This kind of thing happens all the time in the park, a hunk of nature in New York City. Ephemeral artworks appear and disappear all the time. All you have to do is look. With the unseasonably warm days, the ice has fallen off the wall and is almost melted. This stacked stone wall nearby turned…green.

green wall Marcus Garvey Park 2
photo: sally schneider

A few days later, the green was gone!

 

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2 replies on “found kinetic ice and water sculpture

  1. Thank you, Sally. For many years before we had a cabin, we lived outside all summer, slept in a tent, cooked and ate outside, and saw & heard the most amazing things. (One of the most awesome is a “moonbow”, a silver rainbow made from moonlight.) I lamented moving indoors into a cabin because of all the ephemeral natural extravagances we’d miss. I still tell myself, “Spend more time outside.”

  2. Well, if I were you, I’d pitch the tent out back somewhere and still sleep outside…and know the cabin is there if you want it. Both are swell.

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