The Willoughby Windows project opened in July. Gaia, a project contributor, mentioned it a few times in his Juxtapoz blog, and Martha Cooper posted great backstage shots of the installation process. I finally paid a visit to the windows yesterday and thought I would post some pics of the finished product. In these photos, I love how the reflections of the street merge the environment with the artwork. If you haven’t heard about this yet, and you’re in New York, stop by—I think these windows stay up until November 12, and then they plan to either demolish the buildings or install new artwork—whichever comes first.
The story behind the windows goes something like this: the business owners for this little block of Willoughby (88-106) were given short notice to vacate the premises (minus relocation assistance or any guarantee of new retail space), thanks to the ever-push for city space. The Brooklyn Paper (June 2 issue) puts it this way:
“Tenants in two squat buildings at the corner of Bridge Street were told last month that they are being evicted to make room a $208-million, 30-story tower.
Manhattan-based United American Land plans to build nearly 600,000-square-feet of retail and high-end residential space on Willoughby between Bridge and Duffield Streets, said Tom Conoscenti, an analyst with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a city office overseeing a real-estate boom that consists of new office towers, residential buildings and improved street furniture.”
Ironically, after the tenants were forced to pack-and-run, the development project has stalled indefinitely, another victim of the imploded real-estate bubble and woeful economy. Keep reading at Juxtapoz…
