The New York Earth Room The Broken Kilometer

The new york earth room 1977 is the third earth room sculpture executed by the artist the first being in munich germany in 1968.

The new york earth room the broken kilometer.

The earth room and the broken kilometer left me with a newfound appreciation for new york s hidden treasures. You ve probably walked past it any number of times and you wouldn t be blamed for doing so. You re not allowed to walk on sit in or even photograph the dirt but you can look at it. The second was installed at the hessisches landesmuseum in darmstadt germany in 1974.

The the broken kilometer a second work of art by de maria is housed at 393 west broadway roughly three blocks south of the new york earth room. In new york city which are filled with 250 cubic yards of soil. 53 reviews of the new york earth room hidden away on the second floor of a nondescript building in soho is the earth room a studio apartment sized space filled with 280 000 lbs. The new york earth room has been on long term view to the public since 1977.

In contrast to the hard metal of both kilometer pieces the third of these urban works the new york earth room 1977 is a 3 600 square foot room filled to a depth of 22 inches with 250 cubic yards of earth the new york work is a permanent iteration of munich earth room 1968 a temporary installation in munich. The broken kilometer 1979 located at 393 west broadway in new york city is composed of 500 highly polished round solid brass rods each measuring two meters in length and five centimeters two inches in diameter the 500 rods are placed in five parallel rows of 100 rods each. When i visit i usually look at the dirt for about five minutes and then leave. The new york earth room is an interior sculpture by the artist walter de maria that has been installed in a loft at 141 wooster street in new york city since 1977.

The broken kilometer is now open to the public timed reservations are available here. Like the new york earth room it barely announces its presence to those on the street. Walter de maria s art installations are perfect for a unique weekend adventure and they re a great way to impress your friends with a little known new york city secret. The sculpture is a permanent installation of 250 cubic yards 197 cubic meters of earth in 3 600 335 square meters square feet of floor space and 22 inch depth of material 56 centimeters.

The new york earth room is both an art installation and an earth sculpture re located in an interior setting. Of the two the broken kilometer is the more approachable in that it behaves the way we expect minimalist art to behave. It consists of three connected gallery rooms in a loft at 141 wooster st.