BY SHAYE WEAVER
A new, reflective and immersive artwork has been installed in DUMBO at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Main Street Park section. "Rehearsal" by Berlin-based artist Claudia Wieser is made up of five large-scale geometric sculptures clad with hand-painted glazed tiles, panels featuring photographs of New York City in the 1980s and '90s and Roman and Greek antiquities, and mirror-polished stainless steel. They range in height from 7 to 13 feet and are encased in more than 1,000 warm and cool-toned clay tiles that were hand-painted by the artist in her Berlin studio.
The installation is meant to give passersby a moment of reflection and see themselves in the reflective artwork as "actors in their own urban narrative" as it is located at the iconic terminus of Washington Street, where the Manhattan Bridge frames the Empire State Building.
"Wieser is acutely aware that the sculptures will become part of the landscape of the city for a time and wanted to create a powerful synergy with the bustling surroundings of DUMBO. Building a dialogue between the public and the sculptures is an integral part of Rehearsal," says Public Art Fund Associate Curator Katerina Stathopoulou. "Parkgoers will activate the works by touching, resting, and seeing themselves and the city reflected as they weave their way through the constellation of sculptures."
The sculptures were made with the public in mind — to provide an opportunity for escape, respite, and connection as we re-emerge into our shared world. It'll be on through April 17, 2022 at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Main Street Park section.
