Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Caught on tape: New installation for Houston and the Bowery

Back in December 2009, tape artist Sam Bassett put his signature touch above the Os Gêmeos mural at Houston and the Bowery. (You can see a photo of it here at AnimalNY ... Check out the video of it too.)



On Christmas night, Bassett installed another creation above Houston at the Bowery.... which goes west to near the location of Billy's Antiques...



I asked Bassett via e-mail about the creation, and whether there was a significance with this intersection....

"I placed it there because its a central point in Manhattan, the poles line up to form the triangle, because of Billy and Billy's, because of the painting wall there," said Bassett, who was arrested in November 2009 after attempting to tape up Sotheby’s.

He continued:

"The triangle points East which represents the direction the world rotates. When we meditate in silence we face East in honor of this fact. The triangle in the sky is meant to calm, protect and inspire. To do more with less. To translate the power of reinvention and stillness. To showcase the hidden space in between, when utilized, open great possibilities of life. This ribbon sculpture is my interpretation of a Tibetan Prayer Flag. For unity and wisdom"




Meanwhile, Bassett hopes to install another tape sculpture on the former Deitch Wall, where someone quickly removed his work back in 2009. "That tape sculpture was secured like Fort Knox with very thick appoxy so it was definitely removed on purpose. If you look up to that space you can still see the faint outline of the shape. I would like to replace that tape sculpture with a painting or another tape sculpture. Thought it brought lovely energy to the intersection."
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5 comments:

  1. Unapologetically MundaneJanuary 5, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    Pretty cool. At first, I was like, "It's a piece of tape." But then you realize how much effort it takes to get it up there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HippieChickJanuary 5, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    Oh, that's what it is, then. I thought maybe it was an eruv (which annoy me, btw. If you're going to have religious rules about not shopping or whatever on your holy day, then don't try to get around it with cynical evasions).

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    Hey! Look at me!!
    Zzzzzz...

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2011 at 1:00 PM

    "Epoxy"

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 28, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    I think it's brilliant. A triangulation of consciousness.

    ReplyDelete

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