Artefacting Public Art + Research Practice

December 13, 2011:
Alex White Mazzarella

Its been about a month and a half since a 24 team soccer tournament in a Mad Max style stadium and festival graced the edges of Willets Point. I had checked in a few weeks before to hear widespread calls for continued tournaments and sports. Turns out, a handful of smaller scale soccer tournaments have been played we were told. And Easy and Satelite wore big smiles directing us over to “El Estadio”. Go take a look for yourself!

• 

  Birds eye down at El Estadio
• 

  Penalty box
• 

  Center Circle
• 

  Corner
• 

  Baseball practice netting

Lines have been painted, goals made, more signage and even cleaner. A net rested on one of the goals which is actually serving as a backstop to a worker’s sons baseball practice. WOW. We were impressed, and now locals were talking to us about their stadium. Their estadio. Proof in point that a simple idea can become reality in just a drop of a hat.

The Times Ledger had also published a photo-op of Bloomberg breaking ground to redevelopment, and up the street just along the shoreline sure enough work is underway to create sewer infrastructure for Willets Point’s future. Workers and bulldozers are busy as they begin their slow march into the edges of Willets Point.

• 

  Contracting via NYCEDC
• 

  Sewer pipes being laid
• 

  Excavation on the edge of WP
• 

  WP's roads; the city's neglected infrastructure

A curious juxtaposition; two completely different types of development happening at once-one with machines, and one with the people.