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For immediate release Public Art Fund presents… Artist Andrea Zittel's Latest Projects for Central Park New Commission: And: On View Beginning May 26th New York City, NY - Visitors to Central Park will encounter two new temporary additions to the Park's landscape this spring: Andrea Zittel's Point of Interest and her A-Z Deserted Islands. Beginning on May 26th the Public Art Fund will present these two spectacular artworks at the southern end of Central Park, Point of Interest at Doris C. Freedman Plaza (located at the southeast entrance, Fifth Ave. at 60th Street) and A-Z Deserted Islands in the Park's Pond. Sponsored by Bloomberg News, this major exhibition showcases Andrea Zittel's most ambitious public projects to-date in Central Park. Commissioned by the Public Art Fund, Point of Interest is Andrea Zittel's latest experiment in the public realm. Jutting up from the surface of the active southeast entrance to Central Park, two giant faux rock outcroppings constructed from steel armatures covered in concrete will compose Zittel's first public project in the United States. The first rock emerges from the ground almost vertically, as if a seismic event had pushed it to the surface. Measuring 9 feet in height this dramatic faux rock is the tallest element of the installation. The second rock's slowly sloping surface runs from ground-level to 6 feet at the highest point and measures 24 x 20 feet in total surface area -- offering a more exciting, monumental alternative to the typical park bench. In reference to the Park's popular rock formations, Point of Interest serves as a reminder that Central Park itself is a meticulously planned natural environment built for the enjoyment of city-dwellers. Andrea Zittel's sculpture is a playful critique of late-20th century society's "action adventure" uses of nature (from extreme mountain climbing to the increasingly popular "Eco-Challenge"), as she compares this newer ideal to the more leisurely and contemplative attitudes towards nature during the 19th century when Central Park was designed and built. In contrast to the seemingly "natural" park landscape, Point of Interest serves as a reminder that our perceptions of nature are constantly being reinvented and often reflect the values and ideals of society itself. Offering a unique and monumental twist on the uses of nature as urban enhancement, Point of Interest highlights the ways we interact in public, and the history of this major New York City landmark. The Public Art Fund began working with Zittel two years ago on this new commission. Building upon her furniture and habitat-based work, Zittel decided to create a k. type of rocky terrain which people could use as a place to interact. After visiting a highly stylized "monkey house" at the Berlin Zoo, she found form for this concept. Says Zittel, "I was totally engaged by this sculpted space, which had been built to facilitate climbing, reclining, perching, and just plain rolling around. This environment seemed to relate to many of the issues that I had been dealing with in my work, which at that time addressed the psychological function of furniture… Ultimately, Point of Interest is an environment designed for people to use as both a physical and social space, and is an experiment in providing an alternative terrain for humanity in the late-twentieth century." While Zittel's rocks may look like a true product of nature, they are also specifically designed for people to use - providing a place for people to climb and sit, a vantage point from which to see and be seen. The second component of this major exhibition of Andrea Zittel's public work will be sited in the Central Park Pond, just yards away from Point of Interest. Here Zittel's A-Z Deserted Islands, originally created for the 1997 Münster Sculpture Project will be seen for the first time in the United States. These white, fiberglass islands resemble small, irregularly shaped recreational boats, with their white vinyl padded seats and crisp "racing stripes" and A-Z logos. Each Deserted Island is equipped with a seat for one, reflecting our occasional need for isolation. Individual units, yet floating in close proximity to one another, these sculptures ultimately create an intimate community of Deserted Islands, providing a sense of individuality with the comforts of community nearby. Zittel says the A-Z Deserted Islands prescribe an "isolated feeling of seclusion within a safe and comfortable environment." See Andrea Zittel's Point of Interest and A-Z Deserted Islands in Central Park beginning on May 26th. Point of Interest will be on view at Doris C. Freedman Plaza (the southeast corner of Central Park, 5th Avenue at 60th Street) through May 2000. A-Z Deserted Islands will float in Central Park's Pond from May 26th throughout the summer months. Andrea Zittel's Central Park projects are sponsored by Bloomberg Special Thanks to the City of New York/Parks & Recreation, Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mayor / Henry J. Stern, Commissioner Andrea Zittel's work is also part of Comfort Zone: Furniture by Artists, an exhibition of 30 years of artist-designed furniture at the PaineWebber Galleries (April 15-June 25), and will be on-view in the Saks windows as part of the Sak's Fifth Avenue Art Project in June. Both exhibitions are organized by the Public Art Fund. Public Art Fund # # # Contact:
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