12. Shadows at Bella Abzug Park

Shadows public art installation at Stella Azbug Park
Shadows at Bella Abzug Park. Courtesy of Gabby Jones.

Shadows is a colorful series of sculptures depicting the silhouettes of ten workers who maintain Bella Abzug Park and ensure it can be enjoyed to the fullest by the public. Each sculpture possesses a unique pose, chosen by the subjects themselves to best reflect their personalities. After capturing the poses on film, artist Fanny Allié drew their outlines and translated them into steel frames. In addition, the colors of the sculptures were also chosen by the workers. 

Accompanying the sculptures is an audio component that features Aillé’s subjects singing, whistling, humming, laughing, and sharing stories about their work. Presented by the Hudson Yards Hells Kitchen Alliance, Shadows will be on display through October 5, 2023. 

One standout display is Mandylights Winter Cathedral, an 80-foot tunnel adorned with thousands of LED light globes in the shape of a traditional gothic arch. Scattered throughout the Garden’s Bluebell Wood is Studio Vertigo’s, The Ghosts, a series of LED illuminated origami cranes made from folded recycled polypropylene. Another installation includes Ashley Bertling’s Fire Garden, which utilizes bespoke structures to fill the Rose Arc with real fire from hand-poured candles.