jeppe hein asks brooklyn installation visitors to please touch the art

jeppe hein asks brooklyn installation visitors to please touch the art
(above) mirror labyrinth NY, 2015
high polished stainless steel, aluminum / 106.5 x 346.5 x 338.5 inches
courtesy of könig galerie, berlin; 303 gallery, new york; and galleri nicolai wallner,copenhagen
all photos by james ewing, courtesy public art fund, NY

celebrated for engaging audiences in seas of sculptural, inventive and whimsical works, danish artist jeppe hein brings a series of participatory installations to new york city, situated around the waterfront brooklyn bridge park. from now until april 17, 2016, public art fund presents ‘please touch the art’, an exhibition of 18 interactive sculptures including ‘social’ benches, rooms made of jetting water, and a dizzying mirror maze.

the show includes three distinct bodies of work: ‘appearing rooms’, a series of spaces formed by shooting water that emerges from the work’s gridded base; a new mirror labyrinth, featuring equidistantly spaced vertical elements at varying heights that multiply and reflect the surrounding cityscape; and 16 new modified social benches that rethink the idea of a traditional park bench with their unconventional curved, twisted and bent forms.

a large-scale mirror labyrinth reflects spectacular views of lower manhattan

a newly conceived, large-scale ‘mirror labyrinth’ is installed at the pier 3 greenway terrace, reflecting the spectacular views of lower manhattan through a myriad of geometries.

using equidistantly spaced vertical posts made from mirror-polished stainless steel, hein has created a kind of maze in three radiating arcs that distorts the surrounding reality, as they see physical space and mirrored space in an alternating configuration. drawing reference from the irregular manhattan skyline just on the other side of the river, the width of each element is the same but the heights are variable, adding to the boundless illusions that engage visitors.

appearing rooms, 2004
water, wood, iron grating, jets, electrical pumps, computer controller / 90.5 x 275.5 x 275.5 inches
courtesy of könig galerie, berlin; 303 gallery, new york; and galleri nicolai wallner,copenhagen

when visitors enter the park, they will encounter hein’s ‘appearing room’ installed on the bridge view lawn. vertical jets of water gradually emerge from a gridded platform, forming seven-foot-tall ‘walls’ which moments later disappear. systematically, these ephemeral surfaces appear and vanish through a timed cycle, enticing visitors to step into the dynamic expanse and move from space to space within the sculpture. participants are able to move throughout the different, temporary rooms, all without touching a drop of water.

seven-foot-tall water ‘walls’ systematically appear and vanish through a timed cycle

a series of 16 red benches that twist, bend and contort in response to the landscape are on view throughout the park. hein has designed ‘modified social benches’ based on the basic public seating unit, but reinvents its form and use by transforming the design into poetic and functional objects. one bench accommodates a tree in its middle, while another undulates like a ribbon, allowing for various seating configurations. hein beckons visitors to become conscious of the act of sitting as they perch or recline on his benches.

modified social bench NY #09, 2015
powder-coated aluminum / 29.5 x 70.5 x 18.5 inches
courtesy of könig galerie, berlin; 303 gallery, new york; and galleri nicolai wallner, copenhagen

modified social bench NY #05, 2015
powder-coated aluminum / 66.5 x 70.5 x 18.5 inches
courtesy of könig galerie, berlin; 303 gallery, new york; and galleri nicolai wallner, copenhagen

modified social bench NY #12, 2015
powder-coated aluminum / 29.5 x 285.5 x 21.5 inches
courtesy of könig galerie, berlin; 303 gallery, new york; and galleri nicolai wallner, copenhagen

modified social bench NY #06, 2015
powder-coated aluminum / 46.5 x 218.5 x 103.5 inches
courtesy of könig galerie, berlin; 303 gallery, new york; and galleri nicolai wallner, copenhagen

modified social bench NY #15, 2015
powder-coated aluminum / 70.5 x 255.5 x 135.5 inches
courtesy of könig galerie, berlin; 303 gallery, new york; and galleri nicolai wallner, copenhagen

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