University of Massachusetts Amherst

From the SelectedWorks of Theodore S. Eisenman

2005

Places in an Exhibition: Groundswell at theMuseum of Modern Art, February 25 - May 16,2005Theodore S. Eisenman, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY-NC International License.

Available at: https://works.bepress.com/theodore-eisenman2/11/

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ART WORK

Places in an ExhibitionGroundswell at the Museum of Modern Art, February 25–May 16, 2005.

ONE OF THE MOST prominent museum installations oflandscape design in recent years, Groundswell: Constructingthe Contemporary Landscape showcases 23 sites from around

the world at the newly renovated and reopened Museum ofModern Art (MoMA). While many of these landscapes will befamiliar to design professionals, a landscape architecture exhi-bition of this size in a major art museum is a significant event.

“I’ve been working for almost 50years, and this is the first time we’vehad this kind of exposure as an art, as alegitimate design activity. Not as anecological activity, or as a sociologicalactivity, but actually as a physical de-

sign and build activity,” says Peter Walker, FASLA, one of manylandscape architects whose works were included and who werepresent at the installation. “Landscape architecture includesthings that this exhibit doesn’t touch on, but the [design] aspectof the profession has had very little exposure...and this exhibitgives it increased legitimacy and stature.”

C o n t a c t S u s a n H i n e s a t 2 0 2 - 2 1 6 - 2 3 7 6 o r s h i n e s @ a s l a . o r g .

Catherine Mosbach’s watergarden at the BordeauxBotanical Garden in Franceis one of the 23 sites inMoMA’s Groundswell exhibit.

Curated by Peter Reed andIrene Shum of MoMA’s de-partment of architecture anddesign, this attractive andcompelling collection of workemploys a range of media in-cluding 3-D models, draw-ings, computer renderings,photographs, and large-scalevideos projected onto the mu-seum’s expansive walls. Pro-duced primarily for this show,the videos bring the sites tolife, giving museum visitors amore complete experience ofthe places.

One video asks, “What ifthis park inspired a new archi-tecture?” This simple yet pro-found inquiry lies at the heartof the exhibit, which elevatesthe ground plane as a criti-cal ordering mechanism in the making of cities and places. Even the title,Groundswell, speaks to thisgrowing appreciation andunderstanding of land-scape as a progenitor of urban form.

A concurrent theme isthe impermanent natureof built places and therole of landscape archi-tects in reclaiming andreinventing obsolete anddegraded sites. “Nearlyevery significant new land-scape designed in recent yearsoccupies a site that did not ex-ist as public space half a gen-eration ago,” says Reed. “Thissurvey reveals the diverseways cities confront change byrevaluing and reprogrammingtheir spaces, from creating asmall urban square in the af-termath of a terrorist bomb-ing to transforming America’slargest landfill.”

To illustrate this idea, theexhibit is structured around

three themes. Designing the Urban Stage highlights promi-nent examples of new citysquares and plazas, includinga design by Martha Schwartz,ASLA, for Exchange Square inthe heart of Manchester, Eng-land. Simulations and NewTopographies focuses on proj-ects that explore the relation-ship between artifice andnature, such as the landscapeby Kathryn Gustafson, ASLA,at Shell Petroleum headquar-

ters in Paris. Finally, ReclaimedSites features projects thattransform polluted andblighted postindustrial sitesinto contemporary parks, suchas James Corner’s master planfor Fresh Kills Landfill onStaten Island.

By featuring such transfor-mative works in a major ex-hibit, MoMA not only raisesthe stature of landscape archi-tecture but also increases thepublic’s design literacy, ex-

panding our notion of what ispossible in the places we live.The museum receives twomillion visitors per year, anda book has been published inconjunction with the exhibit.In addition, a series of publicprograms is planned, includ-ing a symposium at theCooper Union. For more in-formation, visit www.moma.org/exhibitions/2004/groundswell.html.

—THEODORE EISENMAN

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WHEN CHRIS CUNNIFFE and Jane Hanstein Cunniffepacked up their youngsters and headed to TheGates on opening day, they embraced the mo-

ment, dressing their two little boys, three and five, in

orange hats and sweatshirts. As usual, it was allabout the kids. That was B.C.—Before Crackers.

When hunger called, Chris pulled out his in-spired choice—familiar six-packs of orange crack-ers. At that moment, a humble food item wastransformed by its proximity to the work of Christoand Jeanne-Claude. Removed from its cellophanebinding and seen in the wintry light of The Gates’opening day, the saffron snack food glowed as nev-er before—the squares’ intensity of color and deli-cate symmetry of design appreciated, perhaps forthe first time, more than their crispy goodness.Chris et Jane got right to work on their own instal-lation. The Crackers was born.

The installation didn’t take decades to designand plan. “You can’t take a bad picture of thesecrackers,” Jane reveals. “Of course, a $21 millionbackdrop never hurt.”

In fact, the first photo shoot took place lessthan 24 hours later, during 26 minutes of Jane’slunch break. The Crackers didn’t cost much, ei-ther—about $2.50, according to her estimate.

Crackers are ephemeral: They crumble, get sog-gy, and are consumed. They have a limited shelf life.

Photographed and posted to the cou-ple’s web site, www.smilinggoat.com,The Crackers is preserved. The on-line exhibit has drawn internationalacclaim, bringing millions of visitorsto the site and attracting attentionfrom the media, including the Ger-man daily Süddeutsche, CNN, theNew York Times, and the WeeklyReader. Unlike Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who prefer not to sully theirartistic expression by reproducing iton mugs and greeting cards, Chrisand Jane have already mounted anonline Cracker Store. T-shirts, bibs,

and tote bags emblazoned with The Crackers areavailable for purchase. So far, they’ve shipped to 23states, but “no one’s quitting their day job yet,” ac-cording to Jane.

“I spent five years using my kids as my props,”Jane says, admitting some relief at the change ofsubject matter. “That I could move on to crackerswas just wonderful. It’s a lot less difficult.” In fact,the kids don’t seem to miss being the center ofartistic attention and enjoy their parents’ latestcollaboration. Recently, as Jane sat lost in thought,her three-year-old reportedly queried, “Whattchathinking about, Mommy? The Crackers?”

—SUSAN HINES

The Crackers, Central Park, 2005

CHEESY KNOCKOFF

Snack Imitates ArtOne couple’s homage en orange says eat your heart out, Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

PRINCETON FOLLIESLiteraryLandscapeEphemeral placemakingproves a lasting success.

PROVING THAT writer’sblock is not always a badthing, last summer in

Princeton, New Jersey, archi-tects, landscape architects, andcollaborating writers gave newmeaning to the phrase. Totransform a piece of vacant landnear the historic downtown in-to a showcase for writers in thePrinceton community, thePrinceton Writers Block, thebrainchild of garden artist PeterSoderman, was born.

In collaboration with ar-chitect Kevin Wilkes andlandscape architect AlanGoodheart, ASLA, Sodermandesigned an 18,000-square-foot green space, framed bysweet corn, where a series ofgarden follies vivified thelandscape by evoking thework of local writers. Archi-tects and builders each chosea writer to collaborate withfrom a list that included suchluminaries as Paul Krugman,James McPherson, Paul Mul-doon, Joyce Carol Oates, PeterSinger, and Cornel West.

Wilkes chose to work withCivil War historian JamesMcPherson. After delving intoMcPherson’s scholarship,Wilkes emerged with a senseof the inevitability of the con-flict between North andSouth, as each side stakedeverything on its version oftruth. Wilkes designed a pil-lared structure, with a rooflinereminiscent of battlefieldtents, to symbolize the di-chotomy of this clash. An “un-

intelligible cacophony ofsound” blared from speakerson opposing sides of the struc-ture. McPherson, like many ofthe participating writers, em-braced the folly project andheld a reading for family andfriends at the garden.

The follies were installed inAugust and remained untilHalloween, when some werepurchased by communitymembers. Wilkes explainedthat besides the readings bythe contributing authors, thespace was used for other com-munity events, including ahealth bazaar, a municipal

government party, a fashionshow, and a Buddhist peaceceremony. According toGoodheart, the project was“one of the finest endeavors ofhome-grown temporary place-making in which I have par-ticipated, and the crowds areclamoring for more.”

By popular demand,Wilkes, Soderman, andGoodheart are collaboratingon another temporary instal-lation. This summer, in honorof the 100th anniversary ofthe publication of Einstein’spapers on the special theoryof relativity and Brownian

motion, they plan to cele-brate science and scientists inthe Princeton community.Again, the teams will in-clude landscape architects.For more information onWriters Block, visitwww.princetonwritersblock.com.

—JENNIFER DOWDELL

HEARSAYQuote of the MonthAn FAQ fromchristojeanneclaude.net.

HOW CAN I SEND Christo andJeanne-Claude a proposal for anew piece of art?

You cannot. Christo andJeanne-Claude have never ac-cepted a proposal for a work ofart. They feel strongly that todo so would make the projectsomeone else’s art.

People with a really goodidea have difficulty acceptingthis decision. But Christo andJeanne-Claude say the one wayto make sure a specific projectdoes not happen is to propose itto them. LAMLAM

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Based on the scholarship of historian JamesMcPherson, architect Kevin Wilkes’s folly, above,

in the Princeton, New Jersey, Writers Blockinstallation, explored the tensions that led to the

Civil War. Leslie Dowling’s folly, below left;Outerbridge/Morgan’s folly, below right.

Based on the scholarship of historian JamesMcPherson, architect Kevin Wilkes’s folly, above,

in the Princeton, New Jersey, Writers Blockinstallation, explored the tensions that led to the

Civil War. Leslie Dowling’s folly, below left;Outerbridge/Morgan’s folly, below right.