IDENTIFY A PUBLIC SPACE
Whispers to Washington - ( conceptual ground )
the WHY.
The 1st Amendment is a living thing, growing and changing everyday. The 5.2 million trees of New York City symbolize both the freedoms of the 1st amendment and its’ citizens. Before New York City was settled by the Dutch, five trees in the boroughs were mere saplings, waiting to grow along with the city and the country. These five trees, one in each borough, are the oldest and tallest living things in New York City. Three of the five trees have even been named the following by the city : The Dinosaur, The Clove Park Colossus and The Queens Giant. Our project will assemble five tree-like canopies, representing each of the oldest trees as a haven for the 1st amendment in Washington Square Park. The tree canopies of New York City shade roughly one-quarter of the city. Shade is the space of the 1st amendment, acting as a protective arbor, a roof formed by trees, allowing all citizens of America a place to gather and express their 1st amendment rights. The five newly constructed canopies will each be built to the exact heights of the five oldest living trees in New York City. The shade the new canopies produces will acoustically whisper to millions. The shade under any living tree in America will come to be known as the space of the 1st amendment. Everyday citizens will relax in the shade and their voices will whisper the timeless volumes of freedom.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
Whispers to Washington - ( reclaimed ground )
the HOW.
George Washington found comfort in the shade of the tree known as “The Dinosaur” during the Revolutionary War. The Dinosaur is estimated to be at least 300 years old and is a 110 foot tall English Elm at the corner of 163rd Street & Saint Nicholas Avenue. In the New York City park named after him, citizens will express the freedoms of the 1st Amendment in the shade of five new canopies. The new canopies will encircle the area around the Washington Square fountain forming an arbor about which free speech will revolve.
Washington Square Park’s history was transformed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by an act of free speech. A group of Greenwich Village residents lead by Jane Jacobs protested Robert Moses’s extension of 5th Avenue through the park. “Save the Square” campaign lead to the preservation of the park and the removal of all vehicular traffic from its boundaries. The free speech of “Save the Square” is a touchstone event for the citizens of New York City and created the opportunity to gather freely under the protection of the 1st Amendment. The 1st Amendment allowed citizens to present their own proposal for Washington Square Park and therefore reclaiming former streets as new public space for the city. This reclaimed ground is where the 1st Amendment will be symbolically planted to establish a space of shade where voices at the level of a whisper will be heard by all.
Whispers to Washington - ( sheltered ground )
the WHAT.
The five new canopies that represent the oldest living trees in the five boroughs will come to rest in Washington Square Park. The five canopies will be actors in the play of free speech encircling the park’s fountain. The role of the lead actor is played by The Queens Giant, a 134 foot tall Tulip Popular with a circumference of 19 feet. Standing just 20 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty, she will be a living beacon for the 1st Amendment. The Queens Giant, along with The Dinosaur, The Clove Park Colossus and a pair of Oak trees will be recreated in sculpted canopy forms. The sculpted canopy forms will be at five different heights according to the particular trees. The shaded space under the canopies is the sum of individual voices sharing a collective experience. The universal themes of the 1st Amendment will be defined on this sheltered ground in Washington Square Park. The ever changing conditions of shade created here will be a physical reminder echoing the sounds of past, present and future acts of free speech. Each day and night The Queens Giant will whisper her anthem, spreading the 1st Amendment into the aura of New York City’s atmosphere. The Queens Giant, along with her four other actors, are guardians of the 1st Amendment, never sleeping, yet always embracing the new whispers of free speech in the park saved by one of its’ freedoms.
Inaugural Poem
Maya Angelou - 20 January 1993
A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed, Marked the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully, Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.
I will give you no more hiding place down here.
You, created only a little lower than The angels, have crouched too long in The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.
Your mouths spilling words Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me, But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world, A River sings a beautiful song, Come rest here by my side.
Each of you a bordered country, Delicate and strangely made proud, Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside, If you will study war no more. Come,
Clad in peace and I will sing the songs The Creator gave to me when I and the Tree and the stone were one.
Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your Brow and when you yet knew you still
Knew nothing.
The River sings and sings on.
There is a true yearning to respond to The singing River and the wise Rock.
So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux, The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.
Today, the first and last of every Tree
Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.
Each of you, descendant of some passed On traveller, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of Other seekers--desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.
You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot ... You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am the Tree planted by the River, Which will not be moved.
I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours--your Passages have been paid.
Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon The day breaking for you.
Give birth again To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.
Mold it into the shape of your most Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self. Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances For new beginnings.
Do not be wedded forever To fear, yoked eternally To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change. Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.
Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out And into your sister's eyes, into
Your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.
Whispers to Washington - ( conceptual ground )
the WHY.
The 1st Amendment is a living thing, growing and changing everyday. The 5.2 million trees of New York City symbolize both the freedoms of the 1st amendment and its’ citizens. Before New York City was settled by the Dutch, five trees in the boroughs were mere saplings, waiting to grow along with the city and the country. These five trees, one in each borough, are the oldest and tallest living things in New York City. Three of the five trees have even been named the following by the city : The Dinosaur, The Clove Park Colossus and The Queens Giant. Our project will assemble five tree-like canopies, representing each of the oldest trees as a haven for the 1st amendment in Washington Square Park. The tree canopies of New York City shade roughly one-quarter of the city. Shade is the space of the 1st amendment, acting as a protective arbor, a roof formed by trees, allowing all citizens of America a place to gather and express their 1st amendment rights. The five newly constructed canopies will each be built to the exact heights of the five oldest living trees in New York City. The shade the new canopies produces will acoustically whisper to millions. The shade under any living tree in America will come to be known as the space of the 1st amendment. Everyday citizens will relax in the shade and their voices will whisper the timeless volumes of freedom.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
Whispers to Washington - ( reclaimed ground )
the HOW.
George Washington found comfort in the shade of the tree known as “The Dinosaur” during the Revolutionary War. The Dinosaur is estimated to be at least 300 years old and is a 110 foot tall English Elm at the corner of 163rd Street & Saint Nicholas Avenue. In the New York City park named after him, citizens will express the freedoms of the 1st Amendment in the shade of five new canopies. The new canopies will encircle the area around the Washington Square fountain forming an arbor about which free speech will revolve.
Washington Square Park’s history was transformed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by an act of free speech. A group of Greenwich Village residents lead by Jane Jacobs protested Robert Moses’s extension of 5th Avenue through the park. “Save the Square” campaign lead to the preservation of the park and the removal of all vehicular traffic from its boundaries. The free speech of “Save the Square” is a touchstone event for the citizens of New York City and created the opportunity to gather freely under the protection of the 1st Amendment. The 1st Amendment allowed citizens to present their own proposal for Washington Square Park and therefore reclaiming former streets as new public space for the city. This reclaimed ground is where the 1st Amendment will be symbolically planted to establish a space of shade where voices at the level of a whisper will be heard by all.
Whispers to Washington - ( sheltered ground )
the WHAT.
The five new canopies that represent the oldest living trees in the five boroughs will come to rest in Washington Square Park. The five canopies will be actors in the play of free speech encircling the park’s fountain. The role of the lead actor is played by The Queens Giant, a 134 foot tall Tulip Popular with a circumference of 19 feet. Standing just 20 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty, she will be a living beacon for the 1st Amendment. The Queens Giant, along with The Dinosaur, The Clove Park Colossus and a pair of Oak trees will be recreated in sculpted canopy forms. The sculpted canopy forms will be at five different heights according to the particular trees. The shaded space under the canopies is the sum of individual voices sharing a collective experience. The universal themes of the 1st Amendment will be defined on this sheltered ground in Washington Square Park. The ever changing conditions of shade created here will be a physical reminder echoing the sounds of past, present and future acts of free speech. Each day and night The Queens Giant will whisper her anthem, spreading the 1st Amendment into the aura of New York City’s atmosphere. The Queens Giant, along with her four other actors, are guardians of the 1st Amendment, never sleeping, yet always embracing the new whispers of free speech in the park saved by one of its’ freedoms.
Inaugural Poem
Maya Angelou - 20 January 1993
A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed, Marked the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully, Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.
I will give you no more hiding place down here.
You, created only a little lower than The angels, have crouched too long in The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.
Your mouths spilling words Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out today, you may stand on me, But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world, A River sings a beautiful song, Come rest here by my side.
Each of you a bordered country, Delicate and strangely made proud, Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside, If you will study war no more. Come,
Clad in peace and I will sing the songs The Creator gave to me when I and the Tree and the stone were one.
Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your Brow and when you yet knew you still
Knew nothing.
The River sings and sings on.
There is a true yearning to respond to The singing River and the wise Rock.
So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux, The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.
Today, the first and last of every Tree
Speaks to humankind. Come to me, here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside me, here beside the River.
Each of you, descendant of some passed On traveller, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of Other seekers--desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.
You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot ... You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am the Tree planted by the River, Which will not be moved.
I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours--your Passages have been paid.
Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon The day breaking for you.
Give birth again To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.
Mold it into the shape of your most Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self. Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances For new beginnings.
Do not be wedded forever To fear, yoked eternally To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change. Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.
Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out And into your sister's eyes, into
Your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.
Location: New York, NY. US
Galia Solomonoff - designer
T. Joseph Surjan - design scientist & writer
S. Hjelte Fumanelli - project architect & digital modeling
Galia Solomonoff - designer
T. Joseph Surjan - design scientist & writer
S. Hjelte Fumanelli - project architect & digital modeling