Highland Park, a park on the border of Brooklyn and Queens that we featured in our recent virtual talk on Secret Brooklyn, is home to a new art installation that should cheer up New Yorkers. Temporary Red Dot is a circular sea of 3,000 tulips that is now in full bloom. Artist Daniele Frazer says of the work, “When we planted 3,000 tulips in December, the intention was to create a living artwork that would bloom in the spring. We had no idea that come April we would all be quarantined due to the COVID pandemic. Currently at its own ‘peak’ right now, this is a joyful artwork that is bringing immense joy and beauty to community residents who come to the park for fresh air as a respite from their quarantine.”
You can find Temporary Red Dot inside Highland Park, near the Jamaica Avenue and Highland Boulevard entrance. This is Frazer’s third public art piece in this park, which has become more than just a location for her artwork. She tells Untapped New York, “After installing my first piece in the park in 2017, I found myself coming to the park so often that I began looking for an apartment in the area. Since moving to the Highland Park/Cypress Hill neighborhood, I have become a member of the community garden and taught numerous open-to-the-public art workshops, hosted by the park, that relate to the themes addressed in my artwork.”
Photo courtesy Daniele Frazer
According to the Forest Park Trust and NYC Parks, “Frazier’s work with The Forest Park Trust has centered around weather patterns (The Giant Flowers in Highland Park were wind socks activated by the wind), and ecology (Ecology Sampler was a flag featuring a selection of local wildlife). Temporary Red Dot serves as an ode to cycles in nature that cannot be stopped, even by a pandemic.”
Photo courtesy Daniele Frazer
Highland Park is also home to the former Ridgewood Reservoir, which once supplied drinking water to the borough of Brooklyn. Walking and bike paths take you around the reservoir, which has become a nature sanctuary. Highland Park is also the location of the Carmelite Monastery, a mysterious Catholic order that is still operational. At 141 acres, it is a sizable park with a lot to explore (but please observe social distancing guidelines if you head over there).
Next, check out 11 monumental art pieces to check out at a social distance.
