New Public Art Installation -13 moons by Jaime Miranda-Bambarén – Downtown New York City

UPDATE – The art installation is called 13 moons by Jaime Miranda-Bambarén. According to the Wise Art Website: 

From Spring to Fall of 2022, New York’s Thomas Paine Park will nurture Jaime Miranda-Bambarén’s art installation Seeds (13 Moons) [Semillas (13 lunas), in Spanish]. This monumental initiative will root into that public space thirteen grand and textured wooden spheres, each one of them sculpted out of a single piece of wood harvested by the artist out of the Peruvian landscape. All the works involved originate from the systematic rescue of the remains of eucalyptus trees illegally plundered at various times in Peruvian history.

If you haven’t guessed, I really like art exhibitions, especially street art and public art. Some of it can be really whimsical or even downright strange or peculiar, but I still enjoy and am entertained by public art.

This morning, on my way to work, somewhere between Foley Square and adjoining Thomas Paine Park, I noticed this truck filled with – I don’t know what – perhaps really humongous, heavy carved wooden round objects from another time (neolithic times, anyone?).

At lunchtime, I took a walk outside my office and found that the objects had been somewhat strategically placed around Thomas Paine Park across the street from various courthouses and the Jacob Javits Federal Building.

These objects are really interesting – perhaps made of wooden stumps, carved and polished with very interesting curves and crevices. The wood looked a little like Teak to me, but then someone said they were carved from Eucalyptus tree stumps. Someone else said he heard they were transported from Peru. Who knows? Maybe they came from Mars. You decide.

Here’s what I can say. These objects are touchable and bring out our inquisitive nature. Within minutes I saw a child laughing and playing on them!

I can assure you one thing: the next time there’s a protest staged in that area, people will be climbing all over these objects. They’re good for selfies too.

When I find out what they are I’ll let you know! In the meantime, happy Summer Solstice!