THE INSTALLATION: WHERE WE STAND

I am going to begin work early next week on building the bulk of my installation. I have recruited my dad to help: he's engineering the structures of the trees and buildings. We are going to convert my sister's 1st grade classroom in Phoenix into a Central Park workshop. I'm excited to use tools for a few weeks. I love to build.

The one piece I've been working on (at home) is stuffed into a box and put into the care of the USPO for a few days:




The whole thing fit rather nicely into a Fresh Direct box, minus cupcakes and ladder, of course.

Next thing we work on is the Tea Tree. Oh joy--the tree will make you tea! I can't wait to see it.


I'm also looking forward to the indoor Great Lawn. I've always wanted to roll sod out on a floor. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

EGG IN TREE

Yarn cones + nest + teeny cupcake= awesome.

Here' s a photo of what I have done of the tree part--you can just make out the cupcake nest at the tippy-top. Eventually it will have several nests--about enough for a dozen cupcakes.

I was hoping to make the frosting robin's egg blue, but the blue cupcakes didn't show up enough from the tree. Were I a real bird that would be a good thing--a little camouflage never hurt anyone. But my goal is for people to see the cupcakes and eat them all up. They have to be visible, see?

WEEKLY BLOOM: PERFECT SPRING

This is a perfect Spring. By that I mean perfect conditions for growing. Everything is large and full of color. All our city plants look positively corn-fed. I'm not sure what combination of conditions have brought this about, but I'm using my crappy point and shoot to get it all down. One day I'll get an SLR and my selective focus will be better selected, if you know what I mean.

Here's a short list of what's currently blooming:
Forget me nots (above).

Lilacs:
These are in Central Park's Conservatory garden which is ringed by very old lilac bushes of all different colors. It smells good in there.

Tulips:
Tulips are just over their prime. They had a gorgeous season this year.

Whatever this is:
This white flowering shrub is in CP's Conservatory Garden.

Other blooming things:
Asian Dogwood
White Azaleas
Bluebells
Wisteria (just starting)
So many other things, I can't count.

Things past their prime:
apple blossoms
cherry blossoms
regular dogwood
daffodils and other early spring bulbs

Blooming in my house: The yarn tree. Getting bigger but still miles to go:

WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE?

Just a second, it's a little hard to explain.

I'm remaking Central Park for an indoor installation that will travel with me on tour with my new album Souvenirs and Shiny Things.

The album ( www.anniequick.com) and the Web serial it's the soundtrack to ( first episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duvPW6n9-w8 ), are both more-or-less about Central Park, so I thought it'd be fun to make a super fancy park reproduction.

I think it's pretty cool how Central Park is made-up nature. Every rock and tree and blade of grass is carefully planned and plopped in exactly the right spot for your amusement. In my park every rock and tree and blade of grass is made out of something else--something not-nature. And it's all arranged just for you to look at and paw through and play with and take apples from.

In case this isn't making sense, here's an example: In one part of the venue will be The North Woods. So, I'm making a bunch of trees, see? Each tree is different, special, and wants you to play with it. This particular tree is made of hundreds of knitted yarn cones like this:



They are going to be all sewn together and hung over a wooden ladder like this:

(click on pic to see a larger, readable version)

Notice how you can climb up the back of the tree and look out over the whole park with the binoculars provided!

Please also notice that the tree is full of nests. Inside the nests are tiny cupcakes that you can swallow in one bite. Just like a robin's egg, only sweeter and without that bad feeling that you're wrecking nature. This nature wants you to lick its frosting off.

Ingredients list:

Yarn Cones (hundreds and hundreds all haphazardly sewn together)

Wooden Ladder (should be stouter than this one)
Blue Plastic Needles (to make cupcake nests)

(I put a hair pin in there for some scale)

Cupcakes (like these, only smaller)
Small Binoculars (too see across the park)


This idea came from a brainstorm session with Caralie and Austin. I think the tree was mostly Austin's idea. Thanks Austin!

AQ