New Page: Monuments To Vanishing Cities

As regular readers of this blog know, I have been working to place bronze-and-steel monuments in a number of cities that will either vanish or face radical geographical change because of rising sea levels, hurricanes and other complications arising out of civilization. The first of these monuments, New Orleans Elegy, will be at Socrates Sculpture Park until the middle of May, and then must find a (relatively) permanent home in New Orleans.

In addition to placing Elegy in New Orleans, I am working on getting new, larger bronze monuments to loss placed in Galveston, Miami, Brooklyn, Venice and Amsterdam. In the present, these self-destructing maps are a potent reminder of our own fragility and the dynamic relationship between the earth and the built world. Over eons, they will become archival bronze artifacts--as permanent a record as possible of what each city once was.

To track the progress of this project, I have created a page on this blog called Monuments To Vanishing Cities. If you know any city planners, mayors or percent-for-art administrators to pass the URL along to, I would be much obliged.

Comments

[Carla]

The object and objective co-exist really nicely. I hadn't realised the full scope of this work.

[alanwilliams]

Deborah,

I look forward to experiencing your peice first hand. Can you disclose who you are parterning with, or trying to partner with here in New Orleans for placement? Will it be in a gallery space or exposed to the full range of elements?

[Deborah Fisher]

Hey Alan,

Thanks for the questions!

Right now, this is all brainstorming, research and other kinds of talk. But as talk becomes firm, I will be updating the Monuments to Vanishing Cities page.

It should be outside and available to see publicly--that's the goal. And I am looking to partner with both NOLA's art community and the science community.

You live in New Orleans? Please let me know who you think I should hit up!

I look forward to seeing it in New Orleans, too. I appreciate your enthusiasm!