Civic Center Welcomes New Sculptures by Dee Briggs

by | Jan 27, 2015 | Downtown News, News

Civic Center Welcomes Bright-Orange Sculptures

Photo: Courtesy of DeeBriggsstudio.com

The courthouses of the Civic Center will be accompanied by three bright orange sculptures welcoming spring in Thomas Paine Park. Dee Briggs created this abstract, corten steel, multi-pieced, structure. It will be installed in the park this April or May and remain for about 10 months. These structures will be placed on each main lawn bordering Worth, Lafayette and Centre streets.

Briggs selected Thomas Paine Park because of the changing scale of buildings around the park. She appreciates that the park is unique from many others in New York City that are on a grid. The sculptures were designed specifically for the park, which helped her decide how her work would be arranged after visiting many times. The division of the park into three spaces allows for admirers to see into and through the sculptures as they comb the park.

Two of the sculptures are described as “ring” pieces, and the other a wavy, horizontal “plate” piece. Despite their whimsical appearance they are actually “very highly ordered” and come from Briggs’ interest in a type of scientific asymmetry called “chirality.” Briggs explains. “They’re made from very rigid geometry and a very rigid set of rules.” These sculptures, are her first public installation in New York City. They are coming to Thomas Paine as part of the Parks Department’s Art in the Parks Program, allowing them to remain for up to 10 months.

-by Deirdre McAndrew

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