What happens to all the Christmas trees that get thrown out after the holidays? Besides city-wide sponsored mulchfests (this weekend) and curbside collection by the Department of Sanitation, whereupon it gets turned into compost, some Brooklyn trees have the distinct honor of becoming part of the Suspended Forest, a site-specific installation by San Francisco-based artist Michael Neff.
Installed earlier this week at the Knockdown Center, a restored factory in Maspeth, Queens, the Suspended Forest began as an unauthorized takeover of a underutilized space beneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in Williamsburg. Unlike the two previous iterations of Suspended Forest, which were removed by the city within days, this year’s installation will be on view for a month. A timelapse video released by Neff shows the installation process:
Neff writes that this longer, legal version “allows for a much different experience, most importantly time for the trees to shed their needles into halos on the smooth concrete floor below. Paired with the subtle pine fragrance of the trees and the opportunity for quiet contemplation, the exhibition encourages repeated viewing.” Neff is also known for other urban intervention projects like Night Shadows, a shadow chalk project,
Suspended Forest will have an opening reception this Saturday from 5 to 7pm at the Knockdown Center.