Are You Ready for “Intrude,” Coming to Brookfield Place NYC

Listed as one of our 18 Art Installations in NYC Not To Miss In April, we have been patiently awaiting the arrival of the super-sized bunnies that will make up Intrude, the new installation at Brookfield Place. So it was without hesitation that we accepted an invitation to join ArtsBrookfield and the artist, Amanda Parer in a test inflation. We gathered on the North Cove Marina side of Brookfield Place, along with the Vice President and Artistic Director of ArtsBrookfield, Debra Simon – and a fare amount of wind. At the appointed hour, the air-pumps were turned on.

Rabbits are an animal of contradiction for artist Amanda Parer. For us, they often represent furry innocence, but for Parer in her native Australia, they are viewed as invasive pests that have caused great imbalance to the country’s ecosystems ever since they were first introduced by white settlers in 1788. Through this installation, Parer hopes to move people to thoughtfully consider how humans have changed and dominate the environment we live in.

For the Brookfield Place exhibit, ArtsBrookfield commissioned two additional rabbits, each architecturally scaled, designed to tower above the already enormous rabbit figures. One is approximately thirty-nine feet high, and the other, thirty-nine feet long. The pair will join the five original sculptures during ArtsBrookfield’s portion of the tour. Each is sewn in nylon, inflated and internally lit. Overall, the exhibit includes 5 two-story rabbits, and 2 four-story “XL” rabbits.

The New York launch of the installation, Intrude, marks the one-year anniversary of the reopening of Brookfield Place New York, and celebrates more than twenty-five years of ArtsBrookfield’s animation of non-traditional spaces that are free and accessible to the public. Since the installation was not up, as of this date, below are renderings of what we might expect to see – with bunnies inside and out.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Ms. Parer now resides in Tasmania. She has just completed a new light art installation called Fantastic Planet, which was commissioned by Winter Lights Festival in London, and she is developing a full exhibition at Harbour City Gallery in Hong Kong, which will open in October 2016. She has also been commissioned to create a new public artwork for the inaugural Doha Festival in Qatar. Intrude will travel from New York to Houston, Los Angeles and Denver. In addition, Intrude has been invited to be presented at the opening of the LaBoverie in Belgium, produced in collaboration with The Louvre Museum in Paris. Intrude will be on view at Brookfield Place from April 17 through April 30, located at 230 Vesey Street.

While you’re Downtown, check out 20 Permanent Art Installations, the Top 10 Secrets of The Battery, 12 Outdoor Art Installations on the Esplanade in Battery Park City or take a ride on the Seaglass Carousel. You can contact the author at AFineLyne.