PERFECT TOGETHER

Two of my favorite pairings: a good book and lovely snack; a garden with art on display. On a rainy Friday I was treated to the latter, where artist Alexis Pace is showing her work in Le Petit Versailles Community garden, Houston Street between Ave B & Ave. C. The garden itself is tiny, but just big enough to provide a green and cultural oasis in Alphabet City. (double click on any image to enlarge)
Pace has avoided the obvious (don't all gardens have sculpture?) by creating photographic images, which, though sleeved in plastic, are expected to degrade during the course of the show.In her artist's statement Pace says "Dis-Embodied/Re-Embodied is a site-specific garden installation of larger-than-life photographs. Five foot tall female body parts and limbs are abstracted and manipulated almost to the point of non-recognition, distilled back to their basic elements of lines and curves. Blown-up to a hyper-real size, they can no longer be compared to any “ideal” instead, they can once again be viewed and appreciated for their inherent beauty. As this is a month-long installation, the images are designed to naturally decay as the season progresses, further reflecting the impermanence of beauty."
Someone has strewn mirrors around this small garden, reflecting and enlarging the plantings from all angles, a hot tip for any urban or small-space garden.
Reduced to using my I-phone camera in the rain, these images can't possibly do justice to Pace's work, but you still have four more days to go see for yourself. If you're one of GardenBytes readers from Indonesia or Brazil, even So. Cal or NH, visit the artist at her website where she has some astounding images and her complete bio.
This exhibit will run through the month of September, open to the public Thursday through Sunday 2-7pm, but like all community gardens run by volunteers, availability is somewhat flexible.

Clinton Community Gardens

I was a few minutes early for my hair cut last week. Lucky for me, The Colour Box is across the street from the Clinton Community Gardens, which could not have been more beautiful. Sadly, no one was working in the garden at the time, so I had to take all my photos from outside the fence. So full of bloom...it felt like an impossibly perfect garden moment.

The juxtaposition of soft rose petal and
hard metal fence gets me every time.

If you live in the neighborhood, between 34th and 59th Streets, 8th Avenue and the Hudson, you're eligible for a key to the front garden. Bring proof of address (driver's license, Con Ed bill, library card) and $10 (for the key) on Tuesdays between 6 & 7 pm or Saturdays between 11 am & noon.



There's a waiting list for rear garden plots, where members grow edibles and ornamentals. Visitors are allowed into the front garden when a key holder is present...and if they abide by the rules!



Next time you're strolling down 48th Street (between 9th & 10th), peek through the fence. If you see someone hard at work ask them to let you in. If I saw this much from the sidewalk, just imagine what treasures await within.