Events We Love: Bury Your Secrets (In a Cemetery)
Based out of New York, Creative Time is known for their provocative, large scale public projects. (Among their more notable past endeavors are Kara Walker’s giant sugar sphynx, which resided in a former Domino sugar factory, and the two towers of light projected from the 9/11 site.)
Their latest venture is “Here Lie the Secrets of the Visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery,” from Sophie Calle, which takes the physical form of a giant obelisk. Over the course of the inauguration of the piece weekend (April 29th & 30th) with Calle on hand, visitors are invited to “privately unburden and inter their most intimate confessions.” The secrets are then sealed into envelopes and placed in the earth, through an opening in Calle’s marble obelisk. Calle has vowed to then return over the course of subsequent years to exhume and respectfully cremate the secrets. Once the inauguration is complete, the obelisk will be open to anyone during cemetery hours to deposit their innermost thoughts.
Visitors are invited to “privately unburden and inter their most intimate confessions.” The secrets are then sealed into envelopes and placed in the earth, through an opening in Calle’s marble obelisk.
“Green-Wood has inspired artists for nearly two-centuries. Its juxtaposition of natural beauty with questions of mortality and meaning present a unique stage for Ms. Calle’s work,” Richard J. Moylan, President of Green-Wood, noted of the work.
In addition to the public art work, guests are invited to explore Green-Wood cemetery (which some believe is the most beautiful cemetery in NYC, if you’re ranking those kinds of things). Maps and guided tours will also be available, emphasizing the iconography of the cemetery, particularly as it relates to Calle’s work. If you need to recharge (baring your soul is hard work!), stop by Avocaderia at Industry City (a short 30 minute walk away).
Green-Wood Cemetery is accessible via R, F, and G subway trains. To find out more about “Here Lie the Secrets of the Visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery,” visit Creative Time’s website.
