Elevated Waterway

Over the past few years, several of the stations on the elevated portion of the Bronx IRT 6 line have undergone renovations.

As these were completed, panels of artwork were also installed making the stations a little more cheery.


This artwork consists of either colorfully tiled murals or whimsical metal sculptures.  My favorite is the "Cross-Bronx Waterway" sculpture, located at the Middletown Road station.  The artists are Amanda Schachter and Alexander Levi of SLO Architecture, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design as part of the NYC Transit Rehabilitation program.


Their piece pays homage both to the train's course as it navigates its way across the borough, while also traversing parts of the Pelham Bay watershed, which includes the Hutchinson River,  Westchester Creek, and Bronx River waterways, before reaching the Harlem River as it crosses into Manhattan.

The sculpted panels are mounted in such a way that when standing on the platform it is as if you are underwater looking up at items floating on the surface.

I think this is a really fun, creative way to expose aspects of the Bronx's ecology
to the public that they typically don't see or even think about
as they commute back and forth to work or school.

I can tell you it has certainly made my otherwise long,
daily commute a little more delightful!

Fall Fortitude

PoetryPeek: Under the Sea

Passenger's soda
spills on the platform. Result?
Underwater scene

Just Horsin Around!

GuestPeek: Kady's Herb Garden

Even in a NYC apartment space can be found to grow food. . .

Pictured here--  basil, rosemary, mint, chives, thyme, tarragon, parsley, and chili peppers. . . 







. . .but with the change of  seasons there are plans to swap out the herbs for some winter veggies. . .potatoes, carrots and beets. . .

Mmmmm. . .yummy! 

Kady, thanks for sharing 
your gardening pix and plans with Permie Peeks!

Field of Favors

In her art installation "Favors", Queens based artist, Priscilla Stadler invited New Yorkers to challenge the stereotype that they are cold, rude and uncaring by asking them to do favors for friends, family and even strangers, or to observe and note others doing these things.

Then, she asked them to describe these "acts of kindness" in a single sentence and send them to her, which she later transcribed onto green paper spirals.


Finally, she suspended them, much like hanging vines, from the ceiling of a Long Island City  gallery (the Space Gallery).


She called this "The Field of Favors".

What I found particularly interesting about this project was the way it rendered the abstract,

     that is, those mechanisms which contribute to effective and resilient social systems

                        relationships. . .

                              their nature and quality. . .

                                        often defined by reciprocity and inter-dependency. . .

into a tangible and collective, community experience!

Leave it to the artists!

Madame Butterfly

With each gust of wind. . .

 . . .she is moved to song.

\

Greenery: Cubed & Squared

Have we been invaded...!? 

No! 

It's a public art installation created by New York based environmental artists, Patricia Leighton and Del Geist.   


Earlier this summer, seven growing sculptures were placed in the pedestrian plazas along Broadway, between Times Square and 34th Street.  The sculptures vary in height between 10 and 12 feet and are propped up on three poles, in order to display each cube's growing greenery.

According to the artists:

"The raised cubes visually and contextually elevate nature, leading the eye upwards and creating a contemplative natural presence within the vibrant core of New York’s Fashion District. . ."

and

". . . We're elevating nature in relation to the vertical spaces in our city."

On display through November 2012. . .Check it out for yourself!

The New New York DIY Green Block Party

Save the Date!

Last year I attended an innovative street fair sponsored by GreenHomeNYC (a great local non-profit, BTW), called the New New York DIY Block Party.

Instead of the typical cookie-cutter event with the usual suspects for vendors, selling pretty much the same ubiquitous, bland merchandise (e.g. tube socks, sunglasses and gyros), the New New York focuses on teaching the public how to

"green their built environment -- while having fun . . .[and is committed] to hands-on presentations by vendors, programming woven into the surrounding neighborhood, and a sustainable approach to event production."

I mean at what other street fair would you expect to see a bus with a green roof!?!

Hello!!!


Well, in less than a month, the 2nd Annual New New York DIY Green Block Party will take place:

    When: Saturday, October 1, 2011
    Time: 11am to 5pm
    Where: Williamsburg, Brooklyn - N 11th Street at Wythe, in front of Brooklyn
         Brewery & around the corner from Brooklyn Bowl, 4 blocks from the L 
         train Bedford Street stop      
     Admission: Free!

Some of the fun activities that await:
    * learning how to install and plant a green roof
    * taking an outdoor yoga class with Hosh and Go Yoga instructors
    * learning how to capture and reuse rain water to water plants
    * vendors showcasing exciting new environmental products and technologies, like:
               * Brooklyn-based Vokashi compost system and kits
               * Eco-friendly kitchens presented by NYC's own Pure Kitchen
    * Bring the kids!  They'll learn how to
               * build a solar car
               * make jewelry out of bike parts by Recycle‐A‐Bicycle

But most importantly the New New York will also practice what they preach by
    * trying to minimize water and paper usage as well as other waste
    * including locally based small businesses & non-profits
    * utilizing bio-fueled generators
    * composting food waste
    * being bicycle friendly
    * providing drop-off points
        * for electronic waste (collection courtesy of the Lower East Side Ecology Center)
        * bicycles (collection courtesy of Recycle‐A‐Bicycle)
     * and much more!

You can learn more about their Green Street Festival Guidelines here or contact them newnewyork at greenhomenyc dot org for more info.

Trust me, this is one street fair that gives back as good as it gets to the public, the surrounding community and to the environment.

Don't miss it!

Flower Power: A Touch of Gold

Sometimes, nature pops up in the most unexpected and 
delightful ways. . .












. . .and on this lovely summmer day, it had the power to bring people together for a fun, delightful and whimsical afternoon. . .

. . .for the the Harlem Needle Arts' 2011 Blossom of Fiber Art Exhibition in St. Nicholas Park (135th Street).

(this park was also home to Ndebele {artist:Jenny Mazer} a pop-up piano!  Visit Song for Hope to learn more about this wonderful public arts program).

Green on the Go

This weekend I volunteered at the New New York DIY Block Party.

One of the vendors there was the Biobus. That would be interesting enough, but what really caught my eye was a little patch of green on the roof at the back of the Biobus.

It's called Bus Roots and was conceived of by Marco Antonio Castro Cosio. His idea is to create a fleet of mobile green roofs on the tops of city buses!  Read more about it at here).

Sounds like fun to me!