Life Size Bodega Installation to Honor Lower East Side Storefronts, Kickstarter Campaign Launches

In February, we reported that photographers and Untapped Cities contributors, James and Karla Murray, known for their gorgeous, meticulous documentation of New York City’s disappearing storefronts, were bringing a life-size installation to Seward Park on the Lower East Side in July. Last night, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to make this sculptural installation a reality, to fund the additional cost of the sculpture that won’t be covered through a public art grand and Uniqlo’s corporate support.

Rendering by James and Karla Murray, previously unreleased to the public

Building upon the full-scale multi-media photographic installations the duo have been creating over the years, this lumber and plywood framed sculpture will feature large photographs of four mom and pop shops on the Lower East Side that mostly no longer exist: a bodega, a coffee/shop luncheonette, a deli, and a newsstand. This includes Cup & Saucer, which closed last summer, Chung’s Candy & Soda Stand, and others. Dibond is an aluminum composite material that will enable the installation to last for the entire year, as it is weather, UV, freeze and heat-resistant and will also have a graffiti-resistant laminate applied.

Rendering by James and Karla Murray

The photos on the 8 foot high x 12 foot tall x 8 foot deep are intended to be representative of the “small businesses that were common in the Lower East Side and helped bring the community together through people’s daily interactions,” say the artists.

The Kickstarter gifts are pretty cool, including a miniature 1:10 scale of the storefront installation, a ticket to a “Storefront” walking tour with James and Karla Murray, their books, prints and posters of their photography.

Photo by James and Karla Murray