Re:Construction Sour Gum Tree Art Installation Sweetens Up Lower Manhattan

08/10/2011
Re:Construction Sour Gum Tree Art Installation Sweetens Up Lower Manhattan

Several weeks ago the Alliance for Downtown New York unveiled its 24th Re:Construction project, entitled Monk Parakeets with Mourning Doves and Red Wings on Liberty and Nassau Streets. Today, these birds will feel right at home as Larry Lederman’s Sour Gum Tree: Seasonal Glory moves in just down the block to two locations at Nassau and Fulton streets.

“Adding a touch of nature to the already vibrant streets of Lower Manhattan, Larry Lederman’s stunning landscape photography will invigorate our transforming streetscapes and brighten the days of the thousands of workers, residents and tourists who walk past it,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York.

Lederman’s vivid photographs of six of the seasonal phases of a sour gum tree bring a sense of natural beauty to an area that has seen immense changes in the past years with the construction of a state-of-the-art Fulton Transit Center. They will be up for viewing at Nassau Street between Spruce and Beekman streets and at Fulton Street between Pearl and Cliff streets.

Lederman’s photography has been displayed at places such as the Four Seasons in New York, but this work of seasonal change will surely reach his largest audience as residents, workers, and passers-by enjoy the images of the metamorphosis of a gum tree found in Wave Hill in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Lederman is a retired partner at a large Wall Street law firm and he is excited at the prospect of beautifying the neighborhood with his art.

“It is gratifying to participate in this project and help bring joy and beauty to the streets for all to share,” he said.

This is the eighth Re:Construction project curated by BravinLee programs, and the 25th installation under the Re:Construction program since 2007. Ten of the installations are currently up for viewing. Previous Re:Construction projects have been installed at:

• 55 Liberty Street: Monk Parakeets with Mourning Doves and Red Wings*
• Hubert Street between Washington and Hudson Street: Aquatic Dream
• Grand and Lafayette streets: Downtown Dogs*
• 50 West Street: Life, Actually*
• Hudson Street between Franklin Street and Ericsson Place: Star Sun Burst*
• W Hotel New York – Downtown: Hours of the Day
• Chambers Street: Secret Gardens*
• Fiterman Hall: Restore the View*
• 99 Church Street: Walking Men 99*
• 56 Leonard Street: Rendering Leonard
• Hudson River Park: Botanizing on the Asphalt*
• 50 Trinity Place: Poster Project at 50 Trinity
• 99 Washington Street: Flying Animals*
• East River Waterfront Esplanade, South Street: Fence Embroidery with Embellishment*
• Titanic Park, Fulton and Pearl streets: Water Movements
• West Thames Park, Battery Park City: It Takes Time to Turn a Space Around
• The Fulton Street Transit Center, John Street at Broadway: Best Pedestrian Route
• Fulton Street reconstruction site, between Broadway and Nassau: Fulton Fence
• Fulton Street Transit Center, Broadway between Ann and John streets:
Concrete Jungle
• Goldman Sachs headquarters, 200 West Street: Untitled
• AIG building, 175 Water Street: Green Gate, Summer
• Street reconstruction site at Houston and Broadway: Houston Fence
• Louise Nevelson Plaza, Maiden Lane and William Street: Rainbow Conversation

* Currently up for viewing

Re:Construction is produced by the Downtown Alliance and funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Engaging, thoughtful and inspired, the temporary artworks create colorful landmarks and brightened streetscapes as they help mitigate the impact of Lower Manhattan’s numerous building projects.

For more information on the Re:Construction program and high-resolution images of the projects, click here. For a video of the Fulton Street Re:Construction installation, visit the Alliance’s YouTube channel.