Connective Project, Prospect Park

Public Art —

The Connective Project brings color and life back to what was previously Prospect Park’s Rose Garden. Commissioned by the Prospect Park Alliance, this public art installation was conceived and produced by the experiential marketing agency AREA4 headed by Rory McEvoy and Grainne Coen, and designed by Suchi Reddy. The installation consisted of 7,000 sculpturally arranged pinwheels.

Originally designed as a Children’s Playground, by 1885 the area transformed into a rose garden with three water-filled pools. While a popular park attraction in the early 20th century, by the 1970s, the pools were drained and they remain dry to this day.

In the Connective Project, a temporary installation celebrating the anniversary of Prospect Park, many yellow pinwheels exhibited artwork made by the public while visiting the installation, or designs generated through curated submissions. At the end of the project, the public was invited to take the pinwheels and be a part of the installation; the rest was fully compostable.

Made from an innovative paper composed of stone dust and mounted on reflective supports, the yellow pinwheels amplified the elliptical architecture of the three defunct pools, turning them into galleries from which to enjoy the expression of the community’s feelings about the park.

Awards

AIA New York State Excelsior Awards – Public Art Award of Merit
AIA Brooklyn + Queens Design Awards – Excellence Award Winner in the Pro Bono category
2018 NYCxDesign Awards – Winner for Architectural Installation / Pop-Up 
Interior Design’s 2017 Best of Year awards – Finalist