Matthew Geller

Cortlandt Alley, Lower Manhattan, New York City

October 3 – November 14, 2003

At selected times of the day, a section of Cortlandt Alley in downtown Manhattan was shrouded in fog, in a kind of urban earthwork enhancing various features of this picturesquely gritty downtown canyon. Translucent rubber puddles on the sidewalk mimicked the puddles created by the dripping pipes that poke out from factory windows. A scattering of tall bamboo trees grew from building niches augmenting the existing meager vegetation. The fog itself referenced the steam escaping from pipes that jut from garment factory windows above the Alley.

Foggy Day is a project of the Creative Capital Foundation with fiscal sponsorship from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Cortlandt Alley, overlooked by Geller’s studio, is “a spot beloved by West Coast movie makers for its stark narrow height, fire escapes, abandoned loading docks, [and] shuttered iron doors,” as journalist Pete Hamill once noted. It has served as a location for countless film and photo shoots, including Law and Order, the Michael Douglas/Brittany Murphy suspenser Don’t Say a Word, a Harley Davidson advertising spread, and an AC/DC video.

Unlike a film shoot, which strives for stark realism, the installation exaggerates and calls attention to selected aspects of the locale. Translucent rubber puddles on the sidewalk will mimic the puddles created by the dripping pipes that poke out from factory windows. A scattering of spindly but lush trees growing from building niches will augment the existing meager vegetation. The fog itself references the steam escaping from pipes that jut from garment factory windows above the Alley. The fog device, originally developed as an air cooling system, literally generates atmosphere without getting pedestrians wet.

Yet paradoxically, by means of these same amplifying touches, a normal walk through the city becomes a kind of temporary cinema. For those passing within the fog’s ephemeral canopy, taking a shortcut on a busy day suddenly becomes a romantic stroll in a park. It’s filmic, otherworldly, a temporary escape.” Yet at the same time, the work causes us to look more closely at a famous but under-examined fixture of the New York City landscape.

Foggy Day is a project of Creative Capital with fiscal sponsorship from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. The Greenwall Foundation and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation have provided additional funding. General Tool Manufacturing Company, LLC has provided special assistance. This project is made possible, in part, with public funds from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund and the Fund for Creative Communities/New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.