Torque 182 | City of Dreams Pavilion

Governors Island | Manhattan, NY

Of the 3600 iconic blue barricades that are still in use, and once seen in much greater numbers all over Manhattan and the Boroughs, we propose to borrow 309 and reconsider their use by lifting them off their feet to let the crowds flow through. Until now always perceived as the defining line in the sand, separating, among many examples, the protester from the bystander or the parade from the audience, we propose to re imagine the A-frames from a divider of space to a structure of unification.

The armature’s folds establish a multitude of engaging possibilities for the individual visitor while simultaneously creating structural stiffness to the wave as it rises and falls in a tapestry of interlocking blue ‘triangles.’

Bringing people together under one roof to share in an exhibit, a lecture, community programs, or simply the views, the unfurled tube on one side rolls out the invitation and on the other cradles those who wish to remain. Touching the ground, the structure creates an array of seating positions, places to lie, to listen, to sit and to view.

By straddling an imagined path, rather than moving alongside it, the ‘barrier’ eliminated, and previous feelings of exclusion are surpassed by the future expectation of inclusion.

The spectator and the spectacle are now one in the same.