Where do people find moments of stillness in cities? David van der Leer, the Guggenheim’s Assistant Curator of Architecture and Urban Studies, organized stillspotting nyc, a two-year project that calls on architects, artists, and composers to create “stillspots” throughout the five boroughs. Artist Pedro Reyes opened the first in June, a clinic in downtown Brooklyn that concocted tongue-in-cheek therapy sessions from bits of hypnotism, corporate coaching, and Fluxus. With the second edition of stillspotting opening in Lower Manhattan September 15–18 and 22-25, Artlog invites you to pose questions for our upcoming Q&A with Van der Leer. Two thoughtful participants will receive tickets to stillspotting nyc (valued at $20). Send us your questions for Van der Leer via Twitter, Facebook, or email by 5 p.m. on September 7.
If you’re curious about how curators are stepping outside the museum and into the fabric of the city, Van der Leer is the person to ask. He is a force behind the museum’s increasing emphasis on the urban environment through projects like stillspotting and the BMW Guggenheim Lab. Before arriving at the Guggenheim, Van der Leer worked at Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Steven Holl Architects.
Snøhetta. Concept sketch for To a Great City, 2011. Ink on paper. © Snøhetta 2011
In this edition of stillspotting, collaborative architecture firm Snøhetta selects five Lower Manhattan spaces to embody pieces by composer Arvo Pärt. The sites trace the periphery of Ground Zero, including Battery Park, an underground chamber on Governors Island, and otherwise inaccessible spaces in iconic skyscrapers. Ten years after the September 11th attacks, these stillspots serve as quiet tributes to New York, giving the collaboration between Snøhetta and Pärt its title: To a Great City.
The location is particularly appropriate for Snøhetta, which also designed the World Trade Center site’s museum pavilion. To the spaces chosen by Snøhetta, Pärt contributes pieces uniquely suited to reflection. Since the late 60s, the idiosyncratic composer has stripped his music down to its most essential elements, immersing himself in early forms of Western music after abandoning avant-garde serial techniques. His work is sometimes compared to that of minimalist composer Steve Reich, who once told the Guardian that Pärt’s music, “fulfills a deep human need that has nothing to do with fashion.”
Snøhetta. Concept sketch of The Battery Labyrinth for To a Great City, 2011. Composite digital image. © Snøhetta 2011
