civic action: a vision for long island city by noguchi museum + socrates sculpture park

civic action: a vision for long island city noguchi museum + socrates sculpture park, queens, new york, USA on now until april 22, 2012

r/call: ‘if only the city could speak’ installation by artist mary miss and project team as part of civic action: a vision for long island city image © bill taylor, courtesy of the noguchi museum

designboom has just been sent images from the noguchi museum and socrates sculpture park installation ‘civic action: a vision for long island city’.

for the project, artists natalie jeremijenko, mary miss, rirkrit tiravanija and george trakas lead four design teams that formed the ‘civic action’ project. their groups include a landscape architect, urban planner, architect, and writer as well as additional staff. the collaborative work engages the four designers and their teams to contemplate the approach to new growth in queens, new york, where the two artistic institutions are located. the neighborhood is situated on the border of long island city and astoria and is a mix of residences, open and public spaces, waterfront property, artist studio and museum spaces. ‘civic action: a vision for long island city’ is an artistic and urban planning response to the recent construction in queens, completed seemingly without regard for the city’s pre-existent infrastructure. the designers appreciate the zoning, natural environment, history and culture of the area in their work. their plans have engineered a creative solution to city planning issues, organizing their projects in accordance to the needs of the population, rather than purely for profit.

mary miss: ‘ravenswood/call’ new york-based, sculptural artist, mary miss designed the space along the coastline of queens. the project is an ‘art-infused urban research zone’– a lab with a panoramic view of the area. this design aspect implores scientists to invent and progress with the necessity for environmental preservation in the forefront of their plans, as they are reminded of their immediate environment just outside their window.

george trakas: ‘river shoreline walk’ canadian-born and new york-based artist george trakas completed the design for public access and community support for the beach of ravenswood. his plan includes granite slabs, placed in such a way to replace the remnants of the existing boardwalk. ‘river shoreline walk’ would promote a more unified community connection to the water’s edge.

natalie jeremijenko: ‘UP_2_U’ natalie jeremijenko, an australian-born and new york-based scientist, artist and director of the xdesign environmental health clinic at NYU, contributes a green transportation system to the project. jeremijenko infuses her interest in human and environmental health into every aspect of her highly technological work. ultimately, the ecosystem of queens is monitored and maintained as fossil-fueled necessities transitioned to solar power in her work.

rirkrit tiravanija: ‘greenway and community kitchen’ artist rirkrit tiravanija, born in buenos aires and based in new york, designed greenway and community kitchen for the installation. the community kitchen aspect of the design is a table and kitchen which are both able to be transported and assembled quite easily. tiravanija envisions the first installation of the community kitchen to be in the socrates sculpture park. greenway is the team’s proposal to re-pave broadway in queens to a busy street with drivable grass. the area to be included in this redesign possess segments easily closed to traffic and transformed to community-based space for events such as markets, film screenings, or dance parties.

‘civic action’ was completed by the design teams for the noguchi museum and socrates sculpture park with the ideals of mark di suvero and isamu noguchi in mind. the artists were moved to create by ideas of art, community, sustainability, and love for long island city.

‘ravenswood/city as living laboratory’ by mary miss

‘map showing event pier, boardwalk, rip rap, tiered access, glazed bridge, and illumination’ by george trakas

‘river shoreline walk’ periscope installation by artist george trakas and project team as part of civic action: a vision for long island city image © bill taylor, courtesy of the noguchi museum

‘site area, river walkway, and access’ by george trakas

‘grid xing’ by natalie jeremijenko

‘x-ing problem’ by natalie jeremijenko

‘greenway and community kitchen’ installation by artist rirkrit tiravanija and project team as part of ‘civic action: a vision for long island city’ image © bill taylor, courtesy of the noguchi museum