Visit the Earth Room

On a sunny Sunday such as this, you might think it best to stay outside. While I tempered my morning walk through Central Park with a visit to the Metropolitan Museum to see the stunning new shows of Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh and Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet, I also had plenty of time this afternoon to stroll around SoHo, New York's largest open-air shopping mall. Where the artists once displayed their work, where the gallerists once fretted about sales, now the cash registers ring up some of the most incredible luxury goods money can buy. But I digress. The cast-iron facades are as interesting as ever, and the overheated real estate market has meant a fair amount of new construction alongside some really terrific (and not-so-terrific) renovations. But I digress. Because as you walk up Wooster Street, right near the enormous Poltrona Frau store, presently much of that block is under wraps and trying to walk around the blocked-off sidewalk in a narrow corridor does try one's patience. But it is well worth the effort to stop in at the Earth Room on the second floor of 141 Wooster Street. I realize just a few weeks ago I mentioned the Earth Room in the context of the Dia Foundation's director leaving New York for LACMA. But Walter DeMaria's Earth Room really is a crown jewel in Dia's collection, and the visceral experience of a SoHo loft filled with 280,000 pounds of beautiful dirt is just extraordinary. I had about 90 seconds of peace and quiet to reflect before a gaggle of noisy tourists arrived, but most visits I've been the only one there (except for the attendant) and had a terrific only-in-New-York moment. After all, there is no other loft in SoHo (or anywhere else) like it.
photo © 1995-2006 Dia Art Foundation. All rights reserved.

Tags:   dia foundation, earth room, walter demaria

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Posted on 4/9/2006 ( Permanent Link )
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