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A splashy new work of public art has just taken over the Garment District.
“Echoes – A Voice from Unchartered Waters,” by Mathias Gmachl, is a 55-foot-long interactive sound and light installation that urges passersby to pay attention to nature and the environment surrounding us.
The astounding piece will be on display by the Broadway plaza between 38th and 39th Street through November 13.
RECOMMENDED: The iconic "LOVE" sculpture is now on display at Rockefeller Center
Hoping to spur conversations regarding the future of our planet, the installation juxtaposes two different aspects of the relationship between humans and nature. On the one hand, the work features a soundscape meant to evoke the underwater world of the whale. At the same time, viewers will note“a layer of noise pollution, which represents the modern industrialized world and society's harmful invasions of the earth's ecosystems,” reads an official press release.
“With ‘Echoes – A Voice from Uncharted Waters,’ I want to provide an open space—a platform—for the public to have conversations about the future of our planet. Not just about whales, but of all life that exists,” said Gmachl in an official statement. “The need to create room to learn, and dream, of a better future feels more pressing than ever. The installation is my small contribution towards a larger shift in the narratives and actions needed.”
The set-up comes at an opportune time for conversations of the sort as Climate Week kicks off in New York in just a few days.
As the weather (finally!) turns cooler and we celebrate the imminent arrival of fall, make sure to check out other public works of art all around town, from the iconic "LOVE" monument now standing tall by Rockefeller Center to chandeliers made of plastic water bottles on the Upper East Side and a colorful floral archway honoring the late transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson in Brooklyn.