10. The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist

The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist by Mark Dion. Photo by Zack Smith. Courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.
The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist by Mark Dion. Photo by Zack Smith. Courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.

Beginning October 8th, The Trust for Governors Island will present artist Mark Dion’s new installation, The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist. On long-term view in Building 105 — a historic arsenal structure located within the Governors Island Historic District — The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist transforms the space into an abandoned research outpost. Scientific objects, instruments, artifacts, and samples featured in the installation were chosen for their connections to Governor Island’s history and the ecology of the New York Harbor and Buttermilk Channel.

For Dion, the installation allows viewers to witness a scene preserved in time, one “where somebody studying the natural world realizes that the future’s not looking so good… that we are going to lose a great amount of the natural wonders that have been here in previous centuries.”