Today being President's Day, I thought I would celebrate by writing a little about someone who actually does something instead of talking all the time.
Very luckily, I made it yesterday to the last hours of the exhibition held at FusionArts Museum covering the environmental handwork of
Adam Purple that was called "The Garden of Eden". Consisting of the photographic documentation of Henry Wang, it displays quiet and joyous snapshots of an act which seems impossible today in the hustle and bustle of an increasingly materialistic city- the creation of a living, workable garden for all people that would grow exponentially. Spanning five city lots (abandoned at a time when property in the Lower East Side was essentially worthless), it is an absolute wonder how one man (with the help of others) did backbreaking work because he felt a compulsion to do so- without the use or need of technology. To see these photos- especially the ones of fruits and vegetables growing in what one would suspect non-usable land, is to have quiet elation, but is also a stark reminder of what one is not doing (and could be doing) all the time while trapped in the daily hustle of this "world". The final photos show the demolition of the Garden of Eden (under court order) by bulldozer, and looking at it, one knows why people would do it (economic and political motivations) but really it makes no sense (especially moral sense) at all.
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Adam Purple and photographs of him as he creates the Garden
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| The Garden of Eden in a state of growth and expansion |
January 8, 2011 would mark the 25th anniversary of its destruction.
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| It took two days to destroy the work (but not the heart) of one man. |
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