One World Trade Center just opened its doors in Manhattan after 13 years and nearly $4 billion spent in construction. Asher Edelman was chosen by the Durst Organization to curate the art for the new spaces and visitors to the new lobby will be greeted by a 90-foot mural by Brooklyn-based artist José Parlá. He worked on “ONE: Union of the Senses” for about eight months in his studio and two weeks on site. Parla says;
“It was very important to me that this painting would reflect a massive respect to the situation and event and the families, and a massive respect for the site.”
Well, the painting is MASSIVE and with some 20,000 people seeing it every day, so is the audience. (The Met gets about 15,000 daily, as an uptown comparison.) Edelman elaborates on art in public spaces;
“I think that the role of the art is to create life within a building. It’s not just about white marble walls, it’s about spirit and life. From the building’s point of view, it’s about branding, and something that is beyond the simple walls.”
My alma mater Condé Nast Publications, occupies nearly a quarter of the building’s 4 million square feet and is moving in right about now. I might have to visit someone there to see this in person. In the meantime, I'm checking out this video. (T/Y Douglas)
