Public Art New York survey - Upper West Side

As a group with SeonAe Moon, we surveyed the area of Upper west side, stopping at the public pieces of Columbus monument, Main monument, Double cable wall, and 3 other sites along the upper west side of Manhattan. Situated at the base of Columbus circle lies the appropriately named monument to Columbus as a massive elongated pillar that is softly contrasted with the shrubbery of greens at the foot of the monument and the backdrop of Central Park. By no means is the monument the only stand alone piece in the circle, but it sets the tone for the surrounding area as it shows the affluent yet public nature of the Upper West Side. Immediately behind the statue in the direction to the entrance at Central Park, stand the wider but shorter Main monument. Complete with a majestic golden statue on top, the pillars are almost celestial guardians of the Central Park entrances. The pillars evoke a sense of strength as they stand fully erect and convey a sense of palace doors being held up in tension to allow a select few in. All the while, the bodies at the base show a graceful delicacy that invites all to continue, almost as if to say there is a beautiful tension in the safety and freedom that Central Park has to offer. Following the flow of sites, one of the most visually demanding areas are The Shops at Columbus Circle with the large and minimalist Double Cable Wall. Essentially a wall of square glass panels held together by steel, the side of the mall looks like stitched glass being suspended in the air. Correctly positioned to let natural lighting spill directly into the mall, the space of Columbus Circle looks like one of the more refined and welcoming spaces in Manhattan.
 

-Rick Rodriguez