Nomad

The Nomadic Project
Pier 54, Manhattan

We were roaming up the West side waterfront, when we noticed something unusual to the north. There have been so many changes to this area of Manhattan, that is was hard to remember if the shadowy bulk on the water by 13th street had been there the last time. Then the components of the structure pulled a memory trigger.

We saw the Nomadic Museum, a world roaming exhibition space made of shipping containers featuring the photography of Gregory Colbert. It was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban.

The exhibit called ashes and snow will open on March 5.

Oh, this is good.

An old artist friend of mine used to talk about her dream to construct a home out of these types of containers. Since there is a port around the corner from my home, I often find myself staring at the stacked, multi-colored blocks and wondering about alternative uses. They would be excellent as stalls for seasonal merchants or maybe travelling reading clinics. My favorite is to imagine them as play blocks for youthful giants. It turns out architects have been considering their use for some time.

The container is a blank space. Waiting to be filled with meaning. Waiting to be transformed. Waiting to be moved and changed according the context of the environment. Waiting to be emptied and perhaps hidden away in cold storage. It is a space of promise. This project creates an exhibition space through their arrangement, but we can’t ignore the empty space inside the walls/blocks. It’s brilliant that it comes to our city where any container draws the attention of the space conscious new Yorker, but simultaneously this seems to gently mock our own shoeboxes that we call homes.

Maybe Corie and I could stack a bunch of these to make our home. Then we could fit our cat collective.

Anyway until we start cutting airholes and welding the compound together, read more about the project here and here and go when it opens.