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Artist Turns Discarded Christmas Trees Into “Suspended Forest”


January 9, 2013 | Bucky Turco

Last year, we caught a glimpse of Christmas trees hanging under the BQE in Brooklyn and found it intriguing. The installation was created by artist Michael Neff and for 2013, he went even bigger. He also gave us some background on the unsanctioned project, telling ANIMAL:

After December 25th, New York sidewalks are crowded with stacked Christmas trees that no longer have a purpose. I wanted to figure out a way to give these trees another purpose, and perhaps encourage people to think about our consumption around Christmas.

This year I hung 35 trees side by side by side in an unused space under the BQE in Williamsburg that is fenced off from the public. This area is bordered by Metropolitan Avenue which provides a lot of foot traffic, and therefore a broad audience. I enjoy installing art in the public sphere as it has the opportunity to be seen by and affect people who might otherwise miss it if it were installed in a gallery or museum.