High Line Blog

A bell in Herald Square recorded for A Bell for Every Minute, courtesy the artist and Creative Time

Details for a major new art installation, going in on the High Line this summer, have been finalized.

Building on the success of Spencer Finch's installation in the Chelsea Market Passage, we're once again partnering with public art superstars Creative Time and the public art wing of the Parks Department. This time, we commissioned a site-specific multi-channel sound piece from artist Stephen Vitiello, entitled A Bell for Every Minute. The piece will be installed in the 14th Street Passage, another semi-enclosed space where the High Line runs through a former industrial building.

Jan Gilbert's "Sur la ligne/On the line" at 571 Projects.

571 Projects in Chelsea is now showing a High Line-inspired work by artist Jan Gilbert. The New Orleans native makes her debut in New York with a piece entitled Sur la ligne/On the line. In the gallery's press release, Gilbert states that the High Line "serves as a superb viewing pedestal of this vibrant, quirky, industrial layer of the city." Her photographic works combine multiple perspectives on views from the High Line, and the images are embalmed in a transparent membrane.

The Chelsea Grasslands this fall. Photo by Bjoern Amherd.

Now that spring is approaching, our gardeners are beginning the cutback process, which will provide space for new growth during the warmer months. In a traditional garden, plants are cut back when their stalks begin to dry during autumn. In keeping with planting designer Piet Oudolf's belief that a plant's dried seed heads are just as beautiful and important as its flowers, the High Line's vegetation was left in its natural state.

Gardener Johnny Linville clears a path through the Chelsea Grasslands.

Come see the High Line in its stylish white coat! After the snow stopped falling early this morning, our Maintenance and Operations team spent several hours using snow blowers, shovels and an eco-friendly de-icer to clear the High Line's paths and stairways. The park is now open south of 16th Street, and we expect a complete opening very soon. UPDATE: The entire park is now open!