“What does retreat mean in New York?” This question guided the creation of the Cabin Sculpture. British artist Rachel Whiteread created this intriguing piece. The Cabin Sculpture sits on a slope in the Hills of Governors Island.
Now, look closely at the Cabin Sculpture. Notice its solid concrete form. It’s a cast of a New England-style shed’s interior. Whiteread’s work evokes both unease and invitation. The Cabin Sculpture is intended as a permanent fixture here. It’s detached from, yet part of, New York City.
Curator Tom Eccles discussed the Unabomber and Thoreau’s Walden with Whiteread. They considered the American cabin’s form and isolation. Eccles, curator of Art CommissionsGI, encourages visitor discovery through contemporary art.
The Hills themselves are a fiction. This entire environment is crafted. The Cabin Sculpture will eventually be hidden by flowering shrubs and trees. This will make encountering it even more surprising. Whiteread also created small bronze casts of found objects. Some are from Governors Island. These are installed alongside the Cabin Sculpture. They remind you of the human engineering behind this vista.
Consider Whiteread’s other works. The Cabin Sculpture shares a visual weight with her “House” and “Water Tower”. “House” was cast from a decrepit Victorian home in London. “Water Tower” once sat atop the Museum of Modern Art.
The Hills offer incredible views. You can see the Lower Manhattan skyline and New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge are framed in the valleys. Each hill has a purpose. Grassy Hill, Slide Hill, Outlook Hill, and here we are at Discovery Hill, home to the Cabin Sculpture.
Before the Hills, Governors Island was flat. The Dutch landscape architecture firm West 8 oversaw the Hills’ construction. These walkable hills offer new perspectives. The undulation dramatizes the harbor’s beauty.
The Hills may seem new. But imagine the future. The landscape will grow lush. The Cabin Sculpture will become a surprise discovery in the woods. Rachel Whiteread’s Cabin Sculpture opened here on July 19. It invites you to contemplate retreat within a bustling city. Strewn around the cabin are numerous bronze casts of discarded objects including bottles, cans and other refuse; some of these objects were sourced on the Island itself. Take a moment to appreciate this unique blend of art and environment.