Location, location, location!
The hammock is sited at the intersection of Oliver Street/Seaport Blvd. and Atlantic Avenue on Parcel 19 in the Fort Point Channel Parks area. Check it out on the map below!
Neighborhood Initiatives / Community this project will enhance/effect:
The general public will benefit from this installation as a new space for relaxation, conversation and display within the Greenway. The Big Hammock project sited at the Fort Point Channel Park will bring together residents that work and live in the Fort Point community, artists, workers from the financial district, tourists staying at the Intercontinental and families visiting the Children’s Museum. It is intended to be admired and used by children and adults for sitting, lounging and public conversation. I am a member of FPAC (Fort Point Arts Community). Last year, we participated in the Fort Point Open Studios and we proposed a speculative vision for Fort Point as a designation area for play and relaxation for families (please click here for article and images). The hammock is an extension of this vision; it will be open to the general public, free of charge from NOON to 8:00PM. The hammock will be on exhibit for up to 30 days. During the weekends, we plan on having educational activities for children. Activities might include reading stories, teaching kids how to take pictures, playing music. A program will be submitted to the Parks Department and the Greenway for their approval prior to engaging in any activities. Next to the hammock, to show our appreciation of those that have volunteered and sponsored the project, a 24”x30” temporary display will provide sponsorship credit for the project and list activities surrounding the hammock.
Need for the artwork:
There is a rich cultural history of hammocks within the arts, as a woven net or fabric cloth, they are simple in gesture, form and execution. Situating a hammock within a public park can elevate the social implication of that object. The hammock is intended to serve the community as a simple lounge space as well as a sculptural expression. It is intended to create a new way to interact with and admire the urban and historical setting, complimenting the greenway as space of public leisure. At the intersection of Oliver Street and Atlantic Avenue, the 8’ x 38’ wide hammock will be located at Parcel 19 in the Fort Point Channel Parks area. The hammock will be on a self supporting steel frame and hang 36” high from the ground. One may think of the hammock as a new suspended common ground where the individual’s weight, size and position are in concert with other bodies on the hammock. It is a social ground.