Brooklyn based artist Orly Genger is a master of the rope. Known for her large-scale installations, Genger manipulates cords through labor-intensive techniques such as knitting, knotting and crocheting, creating monumental installations engulfing her viewers.
This summer at Madison Square Park she embarked on her largest project yet using over 1.4 million feet of rope weighing over 100,000 pounds. The effect is something very minimal, yet it produces high impact and at the same time lies and spills effortlessly onto the environment as if it were a part of it.
In Red, Yellow and Blue, Genger transformed Madison Square Park into lavish, lush colorful landscapes throughout the park with re-purposed rope dyed in the aforementioned colors. From afar, they seem like playful, animated sculptures superimposed over the environment. Upon closer inspection, the viewer sees these are not oddly situated mounds, but intricately placed ropes fashioned into a monumental installation.
“For Madison Square Park I wanted to create a work that would impress in scale but still engage rather than intimidate,” Genger says.
The power of the installation is in its immersion experience. The installation calls out to viewers with its bright colors and largeness, commanding attention and inviting them to take part and become part of the art instead of merely being passive viewers. Viewers are encouraged to sit, inspect and play around the massive rope sculptures exploring the environment in a totally new manner.
Red, Yellow and Blue opened May 2 and runs until September 8, 2013.
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