Artist Jenny Holzer Brings Aerial Art To New York Skies
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There's low art, high art and really high art. NY1's Stephanie Simon catches a glimpse of some unique airborne artistry in the following report:
Artist Jenny Holzer really knows how to get her message across: Her newest work streams right across the sky.
"We decided to fly a number of little planes with at least medium-sized statements that people might be thinking at election time, but not saying," says Holzer.
Statements like: "Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise."
Think of it as aerial art.
Planes will pull Holzer's unabashed banners up and down the Hudson River.
We caught a short preview of just two planes from pier 63 at 23rd Street.
But now through Monday, five planes will be flying as a squadron from Battery Park City to the George Washington Bridge.
"We thought it would be interesting to have these ideas fly by, just the way that thoughts wiz by," says Holzer.
The best views of the high-flying declarations are from waterfront. Holzer calls her proclamations "truisms."
"We have 'You Live the Surprise Results of Old Plans,' and we went to Abraham Lincoln for one: 'Whatever You Are Be a Good One.'"
Holzer Lives in upstate New York. Her work has been featured on MTV and shown around the world. She's perhaps best known for her "Xenon Projections," —poetic text projected onto rivers, mountains and landmark buildings.
Holzer will be doing that here in New York City as well.
The entire project is called "For New York City." It's Holzer's first Public Art work in the city in more than a decade. It's presented by the Public Art organization Creative Time.
While this has not exactly been a "banner year" in politics, Holzer says her sky messages are meant to be more provocative, than political.
"It's not partisan; it's not polemical; it's not for one candidate or the other," says Holzer. "It's about the things that might well be addressed at this moment in time."
So whether you lean to the right or the left it really doesn't matter. The idea here is just to take a moment out and look up.
"We were also thinking of making planes slightly funny again," says Holzer.
So look up and maybe smile.
"Airplane Banner Truisms" are flying now through Monday 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Battery Park City to George Washington Bridge.
For more information on the display and on Zenon Projections, check out
www.creativetime.org.
— Stephanie Simon