Lincoln Center was covered for months in greenery that made it more welcoming to people who wanted to hang out in grassy chairs or lounge on curved surfaces. Artist Mimi Lien had said that she wanted to activate the space and make it more inclusive.
“To create the space, I decided to make the green grass curve up at either end. I call it a halfpipe,” she said in an interview with the Columbia News Service. “A flat piece of grass just didn’t contain the energy. So, I was conceiving of it as both a green space and performance space.”
On Tuesday, the project was deconstructed and carted away. Stephen Harmon was there with his camera.
As of Wednesday, the final small pieces were taken away.
Boo – it actually looked brighter and better!
So GREAT to see the beautiful plaza returned to what its architects originally envisioned!
As is said, “If it ain’t broken, don’t ‘fix’ it!”
It’s not what the architects originally envisioned. It was redesigned years ago.
I’m actually glad that this fake synthetic grass is gone. What about planting real grass, much healthier and beautiful! I feel society is going into a technological, computerized, non-organic direction which is alienating, even at Fairway they did away with the organic section and replaced it with alcohol. So I’m glad the fake Grass is gone but they should replace it with something natural and beautiful!
So you want to dig up Lincoln Center and replace it with real grass?
Waste of $$$ bring it back to what it use be easy breezy
Do you think anything is worth the money?
Bah Humbug, Humbug Bah! Get off my lawn kids!
I can’t get off your lawn, they just took it away!
This was a lovely concept, but it needed more shade! On hot days it was simply miserable. Glad they’re trying new things, at least.
Great to see more photos by Stephen Harmon!
Thank you!
Good Riddance.
I checked it out first with my adult friends and we thought it was “meh”, but I returned with my five year old cousin, and he fell in love. He would slide on the half-pipe for literally over an hour, loving every minute. I’d take off my shoes and lie down. And then I noticed other kids having a blast doing the same. My cousin was so into it he even inspired some adults to try sliding (one young couple seemingly on an early date.) Really made me reevaluate and reappraise the whole piece as more successful than I’d given it credit for. Obviously I’m not saying we should design all our public spaces for kids, but it was an eye opening and cool experience in perspective-shifting for me.
Next year a few palm trees for shade?
At first I thought it was a rotten idea, but when I visited in June I was totally hooked and enchanted. I gamboled on the green, sat in a chair, ran up a hill–I am a senior–and chatted with a happy dog. I also had food from the cafe and an ice cream. Thank you Lincoln Center and Mimi Lien. How about an ice palace for winter? All best wishes, Nancy Wight
I work at Lincoln Center. I recognized the idea was an incentive to get more people into Lincoln Center, although I thought the idea was kind of nutty.
But it totally worked. The Green was almost always crowded. Whether it was 9 in the morning, or at evening, or just after a rain, there were always people there, sometimes an enormous amount. On a nice day it was nearly always crowded.
Esthetically I didn’t think much of it. But in terms of its purpose of bringing people to Lincoln Center, I think the project was very successful.
My children and I enjoyed the plaza more than we ever had before. The welcoming idea was outstanding. We loved it. All of it. The snack area, half pipe slide the soft cushy chairs….etc. The shady area under the upside down half pipe was cool too. Thank you.