[ atmospheric electronic music ] ♪ ♪ - I GET VERY POSSESSIVE OF MY PLACES, AND I DON'T WANT ANY OTHER ARTISTS COMING AROUND HERE AND MESSING AROUND AND PAINTING MY PLACES.

I WANT IT TO MYSELF.

- I LIVE HERE IN THE COUNTRY, AND I SEE SUNLIGHT AND GREAT CLOUD FORMATIONS AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF ALL THE TIME, BUT I'M NEVER AWARE OF ANY OF THAT COMING INTO MY ART EVER.

- I VERY MUCH LIKE THE EXPERIENCE OF VIEWING TO BE ONE OF DISCOVERY, THAT YOU DON'T WALK IN, SOMETHING IS PRESENTED, AND IT'S FRAMED, AND IT SAYS, "THIS IS IMPORTANT; I'M ART."

♪ ♪ - I WAS DRIVING ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE, AND THERE WAS THIS ENDLESSNESS IN TEXAS.

THERE'S ALMOST NOTHING.

IT IS DESERTS, AND THERE'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SCRUBBY VEGETATION HERE AND THERE, THEN SUDDENLY, IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS EMPTINESS, WERE THESE PINK MOUNTAINS AROUND THE EDGE OF IT.

EVERY DIRECTION, THERE WERE THESE HILLS.

PERCHED AROUND IN THIS EMPTY LANDSCAPE WERE THESE TINY LITTLE STRUCTURES MADE OUT OF PIPE WITH CORRUGATED ROOFS ON THEM.

OF COURSE, IN THE DESERT, SHADE IS THE MOST PRICELESS THING YOU CAN GET, SHADE AND WATER.

TOOK ME AN HOUR OR SO TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS A RACETRACK, AND SO THESE CORRUGATED ROOFS, THEY WERE SHELTERS FOR THE HORSES.

THERE WAS A JUDGE'S TOWER, AND THEN THERE WERE TWO SPECTATOR SHELTERS.

I WAS FASCINATED BY THESE LOVELY LITTLE AIRY STRUCTURES WHICH LIVED SO LIGHTLY ON THIS EARTH.

AND I ENDED UP MAKING FIVE DRAWINGS THAT REALLY INTERESTED ME.

ONE OF THEM I NEVER PAINTED, BUT I MADE FOUR LARGE PAINTINGS THAT WENT TOGETHER.

THEY WERE ALL THE SAME HEIGHT.

TWO WINTERS, I SPENT ON THOSE FOUR PAINTINGS.

I WAS INTERESTED IN SPARSENESS AND EXTREME CLARITY.

EACH THING WAS DIFFERENT.

MOUNTAINS WERE PINK.

THE STRUCTURES WERE SILVERY WHITE.

THE DESERT FLOOR WAS A SANDY éLOW.

I ACTUALLY WENT OUT AND BOUGHT SOME NEW TUBES OF PAINT.

I FIRST CAME OUT TO MARFA BECAUSE OF THE MOUNTAINS.

I HAD BEEN PAINTING FOR MANY YEARS IN NEW JERSEY, WHICH IS FLAT, AND THE TEXAS COAST NEAR GALVESTON AND HIGH ISLAND AND BEAUMONT, ALL FLAT AS COULD BE.

I'D BEEN TO UTAH.

I'D BEEN AND SEEN THESE MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAINS.

AND THESE WEREN'T MAGNIFICENT, AND I LIKED THAT ABOUT THEM.

IN THE MEANTIME, OF COURSE, I CAME OUT HERE AND PAINTED JUDD'S BUILDINGS INSTEAD OF THE MOUNTAINS.

THOSE TWO BUILDINGS THERE STANDING IN THE PRAIRIE LIKE THAT WITHOUT THEIR OTHER TEN, THOSE SITES WERE A LITTLE BIT LIKE RUINS AND CONSTRUCTION SITES BOTH AT ONCE BECAUSE THEY WERE ABANDONED CONSTRUCTION SITES.

I WAS FASCINATED BY THOSE THINGS.

THEY WEREN'T SHAPES OUR CULTURE TEACHES US THAT BUILDINGS SHOULD BE IN.

AND THEN I CAME DOWN TO PRESIDIO AND IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED TO THOSE SAND HILLS UP THERE.

THEY'RE NOT CLASSIC MOUNTAINS AT ALL.

THEY'RE VERY ODD.

YOU'VE GOT HEIGHT, AND YOU'VE GOT DEPTH.

LOOKING DOWN AND LOOKING UP ARE REAL IDEAS IN PAINTING, AND THEY'RE VERY DIFFERENT FROM PAINTING ON THE FLATSCAPE OR PAINTING ON THE LEVEL GROUND.

I WAS ASTONISHED AT THE DRAMA OF THE LIGHT AS IT MOVED AROUND THOSE FORMS AND THE WAY THOSE SHADOWS WERE, FIRST ON ONE SIDE AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LATE AFTERNOON, TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

IT'S NOT MY DRAMA.

IT'S A DRAMA OF THE SUN MAKING THIS EFFECT ON THAT MOUNTAIN.

I WANT TO KEEP MY EMOTIONS OUT OF IT.

MY EMOTIONS SHOULD BE THE EMOTION OF RESPECT FOR THAT FORM, ALMOST REVERENCE.

I GO OVER THAT SAME LITTLE SHADOW OVER AND OVER AGAIN TILL I GET THAT SHAPE.

IT HAS A CHARACTER.

IT HAS SOME KIND OF LITTLE CURLICUE THERE WHERE THAT ROCK STICKS UP, AND YOU'VE GOT TO GET THAT CURLICUE, AND YOU'RE NOT SATISFIED TILL YOU GET IT.

THERE'S A RAPPORT BETWEEN MY IMAGE AND THAT REAL THING OUT THERE.

THEY ANSWER TO ONE ANOTHER.

I GET VERY POSSESSIVE OF MY PLACES, AND I DON'T WANT ANY OTHER ARTISTS COMING AROUND HERE AND MESSING AROUND AND PAINTING MY PLACES, OR PHOTOGRAPHERS OR ANY OTHER KIND OF IMAGE MAKER.

I WANT IT TO MYSELF.

AS YOU STAY THERE LONGER, YOU DISCOVER MORE.

YOU ARE CONSTANTLY LEARNING FROM THE SITE YOU'VE CHOSEN, AND I OFTEN FEEL THAT I COULD GO ON WORKING ON A PAINTING ALMOST INDEFINITELY.

TOWARDS THE END OF A PAINTING, YOU BEGIN TO LOOK AROUND.

YOU SAY, "NOW, I WONDER WHY I DIDN'T STAND OVER THERE," OR "WHY DID I STAND IN POINT 'A' INSTEAD OF POINT 'B'?"

[ laughs ] AND YOU THINK, "THAT WOULD HAVE MADE A TERRIFIC ONE TOO "FROM OVER HERE, "BUT I'VE KIND OF I'M DONE HERE.

I'M FINISHED.

I WANT TO MOVE ON."

WHEN I LEFT MAINE, IT WAS AN EMOTION VERY MUCH LIKE THAT THAT'S MADE ME DO IT.

I WAS PAINTING A LINE OF HILLS, AND MY HAND SAID TO ME, "GET OUT OF HERE.

"DON'T DO THIS ANYMORE.

"YOU'VE MADE THAT LINE OF HILLS SO MANY TIMES.

YOU NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE."

AND I PUT MY HOUSE UP FOR SALE THAT DAY.

WELL, ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITERS ON PAINTING SAID THAT A LANDSCAPE ARTIST SEEMS TO HAVE TO MOVE TO A NEW LOCATION IN ORDER TO REINVENT HIMSELF, AND I THINK THERE'S SOME TRUTH THERE.

I DON'T THINK OF MYSELF AS BEING A LANDSCAPE PAINTER.

IN THE POPULAR ENVISIONING OF THAT TERM, A LANDSCAPE CONSISTS OF A PAINTING WITH A FLD AND A POND AND A TREE AND A MOUNTAIN IN THE DISTANCE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.

IT'S A SORT OF RECIPE THING.

I HOPE VERY MUCH THAT MY PAINTINGS DON'T LOOK LIKE RECIPE PAINTINGS, THAT I'VE GONE TO OTHER PLACES AND SEEN SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

I LIKE TO SAY I PAINT MY ENVIRONMENT, MY SURROUNDINGS.

IT GIVES YOU THE IDEA THAT IT IS A PHYSICAL THING THAT SURROUNDS YOU, AND IT DOES.

IT TAKES IT IMMEDIATELY AWAY FROM THE FLAT PLANE IMAGE OF THE WORLD.

SURROUNDINGS IMPLIES THAT THE LANDSCAPE DOES REALLY CURVE AROUND YOU, BECAUSE I FOLLOW THE CURVE THAT I SEE THE CURVE ALSO EXPRESSED THIS WAY ON THE CANVAS.

AND IF YOU'RE STANDING ON A HIGH HILL, AND YOU LOOK AT A STRAIGHT ROAD DOWN HERE IN THE FOREGROUND OF YOUR PAINTING DOWN BELOW, IT'LL TEND TO CURVE UP LIKE THIS, AND THE HORIZON WILL CURVE DOWN LIKE THIS, SO YOU GET THIS SORT OF ALMOND-SHAPED COMPOSITION THAT DOES REPEAT ITSELF IN MY PAINTINGS.

THAT WHOLE IDEA OF THE WANDERING EYE POPPED INTO MY HEAD BACK THEN, THAT YOU DON'T SEE AN IMAGE ALL AT ONCE.

YOU SEE IT PART BY PART.

IT UNFOLDS.

THE FIRST PAINTING I DID LIKE THAT WAS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BEFORE THEY BUILT THE BIG DOME THERE.

I THOUGHT, "IF I STAND HERE "AND PAINT THAT MARVELOUS THING THERE "AGAINST THE LIGHT, "YOU CAN'T SEE THAT IT'S RED, REALLY.

IT JUST IS A DARKNESS.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS."

AND THEN I LOOKED TO THE LEFT AND DOWN THE STREET, 81ST STREET, I THINK, AND THEN DOWN THE AVENUE, WHICH IS COLUMBUS, MAYBE.

I'M TURNING MY HEAD NEARLY 180 DEGREES SO THAT YOU REALLY HAVE GONE A LONG WAY.

YOU'VE GONE THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH THE BUILDING, AND YOU'VE ARRIVED AT THIS VISTA, AND THEN YOU'VE ARRIVED AT THE OPPOSITE VISTA IN THE OTHER END OF THE PAINTING.

PERSPECTIVE IS NOT WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN.

THAT IS FOR SURE.

I WENT OUT INTO THE LANDSCAPE AND STARTED WORKING, BOOM, JUST AS THOUGH I WERE AN ABSTRACT PAINTER, AND I DIDN'T START OUT WITH THE IDEA, "WELL, YOU KNOW, YOUR VANISHING POINT IS HERE, AND YOUR FLANKING TREES ARE HERE AND HERE."

I DIDN'T CONSTRUCT IT LIKE THAT AT ALL.

I BEGAN TO FIND THAT THINGS THAT PERSPECTIVE TOLD ME DIDN'T SEEM TO BE TRUE TO MY EYES, AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS TRUE TO MY EYES.

I'M NOT AS SURE IT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN REALLY ASCERTAIN OR WRITE DOWN, BUT I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING CHANGES AS YOU MAKE THE MINUTEST MOVEMENT IN YOUR HEAD AND STILL MORE WHEN YOU TURN YOUR SHOULDERS.

THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO THE REPRESENTATION OF THE WORLD.

AS SOON AS YOU TAKE A THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORLD IN WHICH THERE IS MOVEMENT AND PLACE IT ON A TWO-DIMENSIONAL SURFACE, YOU MOVE INTO THE WORLD OF METAPHOR, INEVITABLY, AND PERSPECTIVE IS AN ATTEMPT TO STANDARDIZE THE METAPHOR OF THE DEPICTION OF SPACE.

THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE THESE PROBLEMS, THOUGH, ARE OF COURSE THE REASON THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO GO OUT AND DO IT AGAIN.

IT'S ALWAYS ALIVE, AND I DON'T WANT SOLUTIONS.

THAT WOULD NOT BE INTERESTING TO ME.

THE PROCESS ITSELF IS AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM, AND IT ALWAYS WILL BE.

[ chuckles ] MY FIRST TRIP DOWN HERE, I PASSED A LITTLE GROUP OF BEEHIVES, AND I LIKED THE WAY THEY WERE GROUPED IN THIS BIG EMPTY LANDSCAPE.

I JUST PUT THOSE BEEHIVES IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD, AND I WAS DOWN ON THE RIO GRANDE DRAWING A WATER GAUGE MEASURING STATION, AND A MAN CAME UP AND STOOD BEHIND ME AND WATCHED ME DRAW FOR A LITTLE BIT.

I TURNED AROUND, AND I SAID, "EXCUSE ME, BUT YOU DON'T HAPPEN TO KNOW "WHO OWNS THOSE BEEHIVES UP THE CASA PIEDRA ROAD, DO YOU, BY CHANCE?"

HE SAID, "YES.

I DO."

WHEN THE SNOW STARTS TO FLY UP IN COLORADO, HE BRINGS THOSE BEES DOWN HERE TO THE RIO GRANDE AND SETS THEM UP IN THESE SMALL GROUPS.

I HAD ABOUT SIX DRAWINGS OF BEEHIVES I MADE ALL IN ONE DAY.

AND I LOOKED AT THEM, AND I THOUGHT, "YOU KNOW, THEY ARE KIND OF FUN.

THEY REALLY ARE."

AND I STARTED COMING BACK DOWN IN NOVEMBER SO THAT I WOULD HAVE LONGER TIME WITH THE BEEHIVES STILL THERE.

HE GOT HERE LATE ONE YEAR.

HE PUT THEM ALL IN THESE ENORMOUS YARDS, ONE IN FRONT OF A LITTLE MOUNTAIN ON THE SIDE OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ONE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLAIN TOWARDS CANDELARIA.

SO I SAID, "ALL RIGHT.

I'M GONNA WORK WITH THESE TWO SITES."

AND THERE WERE ALL THESE HUNDREDS OF BEEHIVES, AND I GOT GOING ON THEM, AND I GOT THE STRETCHERS BUILT AND EVERYTHING.

I SAID, "I'LL NEVER FINISH THIS BEFORE HE MOVES THEM AWAY, SO I'M GONNA TAKE THESE SKETCHES," WHICH WERE OIL SKETCHES FOR THE BIG CANVASES, FINISHED THE SKETCHES UP LIKE HIGHLY FINISHED PAINTINGS.

SO I ENDED UP WITH THOSE TWO RATHER SMALL PAINTINGS OF MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY BEEHIVES.

I PAINTED A POWER PLANT GENERATING STATION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRAIRIE, AND I WAS STRUCK BY THIS ENORMOUS LUMP SITTING IN THIS ENORMOUS FLATSCAPE IN WHICH NOTHING HAPPENED.

THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY MILES AND MILES AND MILES OF NOTHING.

[ laughs ] AND I THOUGHT IT WAS WONDERFUL.

NOW, THAT WAS A STRUCTURAL JUXTAPOSITION OF TWO DISPARATE THINGS SITTING THERE, AND THAT COULD MAKE A PAINTING.

AS I WORKED ON THAT THING, A LOT OF DETAIL OF THAT POWER PLANT AND FENCE LINES AND DITCHES AND ROADS CAME INTO THE PAINTING BUT VERY MINUTELY.

THE MAIN IMPACT OF THAT PAINTING IS THIS HUGE LUMP SITTING ON THIS EMPTY TABLETOP OF PRAIRIE.

AS YOU PAINT, YOU'RE EXPLORING.

"WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE?

WHAT IS THE INTEREST HERE?"

YOU GO TO A PLACE, AND YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO IT FOR REASON "A," BUT ONCE YOU START PAINTING, REASON "A" DISAPPEARS.

SOME FACTORY WORKERS ARE OUT HAVING A GOOD TIME IN THE EVENING PLAYING SOFTBALL.

IT'S THE GIRLS' TEAM TONIGHT, AND YOU SAY, "THIS IS KIND OF NICE.

"THIS IS GOOD THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE GETTING OUT AND HAVING A GOOD TIME."

THAT'S THE REASON YOU START, AND THEN EVERYTHING ELSE BECOMES IMPORTANT.

HOW LONG SHOULD THE SHADOWS BE OF THIS TREE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON?

HOW DO YOU GET THE SCALE OF THESE BUILDINGS AROUND HERE TO WORK WITH THE SCALE OF THE FIGURES?

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

ALL THESE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS COME IN, AND THAT INITIAL IDEA IS COMPLETELY LOST AND FORGOTTEN, AND YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH OTHER THINGS.

YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH THE SOFTNESS OF LIGHT ON THE TALL GRASS AND THE WAY IT CHANGES WHEN IT GETS TO THE MOWN AREA OF THE GRASS.

WHY IS IT DOING THAT, AND HOW DO YOU EXPRESS THAT IN THE MOVEMENT OF YOUR BRUSH?

ALL THESE OTHER THINGS BECOME IMPORTANT TO YOU, AND THAT OLD THEME, THAT LITERARY THEME THAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU IS FINISHED.

IT'S GONE.

I'M INTERESTED IN BIG OPEN SPACES WHICH ARE EMPTY, EMPTINESS, LIKE THE EMPTINESS OF THE RACETRACK AREA THERE WITH THOSE SPARSE SCATTER OF BUILDINGS.

AND THEN THE MARVELOUS MARKINGS ON THE FLOOR IN THE ARENA THAT JUDD DISCOVERED, THAT'S LIKE THE TRACKS ON THE RACETRACK.

I HAD FIRST GOT INTERESTED IN THOSE MARKINGS ON THE FLOOR IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

WHEN I PAINTED, THAT FLOORING HAD ALL BEEN RIPPED UP 'CAUSE THEY WERE VACATED SPACES.

ON THAT FLOOR, YOU SAW ALL THESE WONDERFUL SCRATCHES AND MARKINGS AND STAINS.

THE HISTORY OF THAT FLOOR IS JUST WRITTEN VERY RICHLY ALL OVER THERE, AND I LIKE THAT HISTORY.

THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY SAYING "REVERENCE" FOR THINGS OUT THERE.

SOMETHING AS ANONYMOUS AND MINUTE IN A SENSE AND INCONSEQUENTIAL AS A SCRATCH IS SOMETHING.

IT'S A REAL THING.

IT'S LIKE YOU AND I.

IT'S A PERSONALITY.

[ chuckles ] IT LOOKS EMPTY, BUT IT REALLY I SEE FULLNESS THERE.

YES.

AND I'D LIKE YOU TO SEE THAT FULLNESS TOO IN MY PAINTING.

♪ ♪ [ birds chirping ] - THE THING THAT BEGAN TO FASCINATE ME ABOUT PAINTING WAS THAT IT DIDN'T DEAL WITH TIME IN THE SENSE THAT ALMOST EVERY OTHER MEDIUM DOES.

YOU COULD TAKE OUT A CAMERA AND TAKE A PICTURE OF A PAINTING, AND YOU'D HAVE IT ALL THERE.

YOU CAN'T DO THAT WITH ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE.

IF YOU COME INTO A SCULPTURE GALLERY, YOU CAN WALK AROUND A SCULPTURE BEFORE YOU HAVE TO COME TO AN OPINION.

PAINTING DOESN'T GIVE YOU ANY OF THAT TIME.

IT PLANTS ITSELF IN FRONT OF YOU AND SAYS, "HERE I AM."

PLUNK.

YOU KNOW, YOU GET IN FRONT OF IT.

YOU LOOK AT IT.

YOU'VE SEEN IT.

I LIVE HERE IN THE COUNTRY, AND I SEE WONDERFUL SUNLIGHT AND GREAT CLOUD FORMATIONS AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF ALL THE TIME, FLDS THAT ARE COVERED WITH A CERTAIN éLOW FLOWER AT ONE MOMENT, BUT I'M NEVER AWARE OF ANY OF THAT COMING INTO MY ART EVER.

IT MAY, BUT IT DOESN'T COME IN ANY DIRECT WAY.

RATHER THAN MY INFLUENCE COMING FROM NATURE, IT COMES FROM CULTURE: THE CULTURE THAT COMES FROM THE HISTORY OF ART AND THE CULTURE OF OUR TIMES.

I DO A LOT OF WORKS ON PAPER BUILDING UP TO THE IDEA OF WORK ON CANVAS.

I WANT TO SEE HOW SOMETHING'S GONNA LOOK, SO IF IT PRESENTS ME WITH A VISUAL STRUCTURE THAT'S A LITTLE OFF FROM WHAT I'VE DONE IN THE PAST, THEN THAT GETS MY CURIOSITY MORE INTERESTED.

THIS IS KIND OF LIKE JUGGLING AN IDEA AND GOING FROM YOU DO ONE, AND THEN YOU GO, AND YOU SAY, "OKAY, THAT'S INTERESTING, BUT WHAT IF I DID IT THIS WAY?"

OR SOMETHING, SO THEY'RE REALLY ALL TRYOUTS.

IN SOME CASES, ONE IDEA FOLLOWS ANOTHER, AND IN SOME CASES, IT DOESN'T.

WHEN I GET TO ONE THAT REALLY INTERESTS ME, LIKE THIS ONE, I THINK, REALLY INTERESTED ME, AND SO I THOUGHT, "OKAY, I'M GONNA DO A LARGER ONE OF THAT."

I LIKED THE WAY THE LINES HUNG FROM THE DIAGONAL.

SO THEN I DO IT WITH COLOR SO THAT I CAN GET A SENSE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IF IT WERE DONE THAT WAY.

I ENDED UP NOT BEING SO CRAZY ABOUT IT IN THE END BECAUSE I DIDN'T LIKE THIS BIG DROOPY CURVE.

AS A YOUNG ARTIST, I WAS VERY CONNECTED TO WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE MOMENT IN NEW YORK, THE LATTER PART OF ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM, POP ART, WHICH HAD JUST ARRIVED.

IT WAS A TIME TO START OVER, GO BACK TO THE ELEMENTS OF PAINTING.

IT WAS ALL PART OF WHAT LATER BECAME MINIMALISM.

IT WAS ALL A KIND OF A SEEMINGLY SIMPLE, SINGLE IDEA EXPOSED IN A RAW WAY FOR PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE, AND IT WAS REFRESHING AND GOT RID OF A LOT OF STUFF THAT NEEDED GETTING RID OF SO THAT YOU COULD BEGIN START THINGS OVER.

MAYBE ALL GENERATIONS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE STARTING THINGS OVER FOR THEMSELVES, BUT THIS WAS REALLY, I THINK, A PERIOD WHEN IT WAS CERTAINLY TRUE.

I GOT THIS INVITATION TO THE BARNETT NEWMAN SHOW IN PHILADELPHIA.

ON THE INVITATION CARD WAS THIS VERTICAL PCE OF HIS.

ALMOST ALL OF MY WORK HAD BEEN HORIZONTALLY LEFT- TO RIGHT-READING ART.

I SUDDENLY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING TO WORK ON A VERTICAL PAINTING THAT YOU CAN'T READ THAT WAY.

IT'S MY THWARTING THE VIEWER KIND OF IDEA, ME, THE VIEWER.

YOU CAN'T READ A VERTICAL PAINTING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, SO THEN HOW DO YOU READ IT?

DO YOU GO UP AND DOWN OR I DON'T KNOW.

IT WAS JUST A KIND OF SENSE, LIKE, IT WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO DEAL WITH.

IT'S NOT SO IMPORTANT THAT I GET THE COLOR JUST RIGHT HERE BECAUSE ALMOST ANYTHING WOULD DO SO THAT I COULD SEE THE WORK, AND THEN I CAN DECIDE LATER IF I WANT TO CHANGE THE COLOR.

IF YOU THINK OF THE RINGS AS BEING TWO CONNECTED COLUMNS, I'M STILL WORKING OFF THAT IN A WAY, ONLY NOW I'VE BROUGHT THEM BACK INTO A COMPLETED FORM, TWO VERTICAL LINES GOING UP.

YOU HAVE THEM BENT INTO A WHEEL.

GET A LITTLE FRESH AIR.

[ exhales sharply ] OKAY.

GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK.

THERE WAS A GROUP OF US WHO HAD STUDIOS NEAR THE BOWERY.

SYLVIA AND I WERE IN A BUILDING THAT BOB RYMAN WAS IN, LUCY LIPPARD.

SOL LEWITT WAS AROUND THE CORNER; EVA HESSE, ACROSS THE STREET.

SO WE WOULD ALL VISIT EACH OTHER'S STUDIOS.

THERE WAS A LOT OF ACTION THERE.

THERE WERE PEOPLE DOING VIDEOS.

THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE PERFORMING DANCE, MAKING HAPPENINGS OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE TIME IN THE VISUAL ART SCENE.

THERE WAS SOMETHING EXCITING GOING ON ALL THE TIME, AND IT WAS CONTAGIOUS.

I LOVED BEING IN NEW YORK CITY.

I LOVED THE INDUSTRIAL QUALITY OF IT.

I LOVED LOWER MANHATTAN.

THERE WAS JUST A QUALITY OF BEING THERE AND THE SOUNDS.

I WAS VERY ROMANTICALLY IN LOVE WITH NEW YORK AT THAT POINT.

YEAH, I MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE THE LINE A LITTLE STRONGER.

WHETHER YOU RIDE A BUS OR A CAB OR SUBWAY OR WHATEVER, YOU SEE EVERYTHING IN BITS AND PCES.

YOU SEE EVERYTHING IN PARTS.

YOU'D SEE BUILDINGS GOING BY, AND YOU'D SEE GAPS BETWEEN BUILDINGS GOING BY, AND I BECAME VERY INTERESTED IN THIS IDEA OF PCES OF ARCHITECTURE THAT WERE BOTH SOLID AND THAT WERE ATMOSPHERIC AND THE IDEA THAT A SIMILAR FORM... GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY.

ONE WAY COULD BE A GAP BETWEEN A BUILDING AND ON ANOTHER WAY COULD BE A BUILDING.

I LIKE SETTING UP PROBLEMS FOR THE VIEWER AND THAT VIEWER ISN'T SOMEONE DETACHED FROM ME.

I'M THE VIEWER.

I'M THE FIRST VIEWER.

I LIKE SETTING UP PROBLEMS LIKE HOW DO YOU VISUALLY DEAL WITH A RING WHEN WHAT'S USUALLY IN THE CENTER OF A PAINTING IS VERY IMPORTANT?

IT WAS THE IDEA OF WHAT WAS MISSING THAT'S IN A LOT OF MY WORK.

IT KEEPS COMING BACK IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER.

BY TAKING AWAY THE CENTER, THAT FORCES THAT VIEWING A STEP FURTHER.

IT'S LIKE THE MAIN COURSE ISN'T THERE, AND YOU'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH EVERYTHING ROUND WHAT WOULD NORMALLY BE THE MAIN COURSE.

YEAH, THAT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD.

[ machinery droning ] YEAH, THE REFLECTED LIGHT IS PRETTY GOOD HERE.

I THINK IT'S ALL RIGHT.

I WAS APPROACHED ABOUT DOING SOMETHING FOR THE BUFFALO COURTHOUSE.

THE ONLY REASON I CONSIDERED IT WAS, I COME FROM THAT AREA.

MOST OF MY CHILDHOOD, WE LIVED IN RELATION TO THE ERIE CANAL.

INSTEAD OF HAVING THE RAILROAD, THE BARGE CANAL WITH THE TUGBOATS WAS A ROMANTIC ALLUSION I GUESS.

I LIVED SO FAR IN THE COUNTRY.

MY UNCLES WERE ALL FARMERS, AND I WORKED FOR THEM.

I WAS PUSHED INTO BEING AN ARTIST BY TEACHERS.

I LIKED TO DRAW, SO THE IDEA OF ART SCHOOL SEEMED FINE.

AT THAT POINT, MY IDEA OF ART SCHOOL WAS PROBABLY NORMAN ROCKWELL SATURDAY EVENING POSTCOVERS.

I DON'T THINK I KNEW THAT THERE WERE CONTEMPORARY PAINTERS.

I WENT AWAY TO ART SCHOOL, AND I CHOSE CLEVELAND.

IT SEEMED LIKE A LITTLE ART FACTORY.

THERE WERE PEOPLE MAKING WEAVING AND PEOPLE MAKING JEWELRY AND DOING PAINTINGS AND ILLUSTRATION, SO I THOUGHT, "THIS LOOKS GOOD TO ME."

SO THE ENTRANCE IS OVER THERE.

THAT'S THE MAIN ENTRANCE.

- RIGHT, PEOPLE PEOPLE COME IN THIS WAY, AND THEN THEY TURN THAT WAY TO GO INTO THE COURTHOUSE, OR THEY CAN COME - THE BUILDING WASN'T BUILT YET.

I JUST HAD PLANS IN FRONT OF ME.

IT'S LIKE WORKING BLIND.

FOR SOMEONE WHO LIKES TO HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER WHAT HE'S DOING, IT'S LIKE TAKING A CHANCE ON SOMETHING.

IT'S TRICKY.

MY IDEA WAS THAT IF THIS WALL BECAME A TRANSITION BETWEEN THIS ENTRYWAY AND THE COURTHOUSE ITSELF, WHICH WAS VERY FORMIDABLE AND VERY BIG, IF, IN FACT, THIS WALL COULD BECOME A REALLY BEAUTIFUL THING, IT WOULD BE A NICE EXPERIENCE GOING FROM THE ONE BUILDING TO THE OTHER.

I'M NOT A PERSON WHO DOES STAINED GLASS A LOT.

IT'S KIND OF TRICKY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH LIGHT IN A WAY THAT IS TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON THE WORLD YOU'RE SITUATED IN AND THE TIME OF YEAR AND THE TIME OF DAY AND SO ON.

IT SEEMED LIKE AN AREA THAT WOULD REALLY WORK OUT FOR THESE TALL COLUMN IDEAS THAT I WAS WORKING ON AT THAT TIME.

IT WAS A CONTINUATION OF WHAT I WAS DOING IN MY PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS OF 2004 WHEN THIS ALL BEGAN.

I WANTED THIS TO BE BOTH INSIDE THE PAVILION AND OUTSIDE THE PAVILION, A KIND OF HUMANIST SENSE OF COLOR AND LIGHT THAT WOULD BE... BEAUTIFUL, YOU KNOW?

IT WOULD BE BEAUTIFUL.

THE SHOW WAS COMPOSED OF RING IMAGES AND SPLIT RING IMAGES.

MY TITLES ARE ALWAYS REDIRECTED INTO THE PAINTING, LIKE SQUARE WITHIN A CIRCLE.

THE REASON I DON'T TITLE THEM SOMETHING MORE POINTED IS THAT I WOULD RATHER LEAVE THAT BOOK OPEN.

THE MAJORITY OF MY PAINTINGS HAVE DEALT WITH THE CURVING LINE, THE ELLIPTICAL LINE, THE OVOID, THE CIRCLE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

IT'S THE SAME ELEMENTS JUGGLED IN A MORE COMPLICATED WAY.

IT'S LIKE THE COLUMN PAINTINGS LED TO THE RING PAINTINGS.

THE RING PAINTINGS HAVE KIND OF LED ME TO THIS.

IT'S A WAY OF TAKING THE IDEA ANOTHER PLACE AND SEEING WHAT'LL HAPPEN.

I'M A ROMANTIC ARTIST, AND I THINK ROMANTICISM BY NATURE IMPLIES SOMETHING THAT TAKES IT BEYOND A FORMAL IDEA.

SOMETIMES, I THINK, "OH, BOB.

YOU'RE JUST A DAMN FORMALIST."

BUT THEN THERE ARE OTHER TIMES WHEN I ARGUE WITH MYSELF ABOUT THAT.

♪ ♪ - THIS IS A PROJECT I'M WORKING ON FOR THE HIGH LINE.

IT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE DEMOLITIONED.

PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ENDED UP SUING THE CITY TO KEEP IT AND MAKE IT A PARK.

I REALLY LIKE THIS IDEA THAT NATURAL WILDLIFE SURVIVES IN THIS INTENSE METROPOLIS.

THEY DIDN'T CHANGE THE SPACE THAT MUCH.

THEY REALLY JUST FRAMED THE WILDLIFE THAT GREW THERE NATURALLY OVER THE YEARS.

THE PCE THAT I CONCEIVED WAS A KIND OF HABITAT.

YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES, INSECTS THERE, AND I WANTED TO MAKE A LOCATION WHERE YOU WOULD OBSERVE THEM ON THE HIGH LINE.

I DID TONS OF RESEARCH.

THE PLACE THAT I REALLY LIKED WORKING WITH IS THE CORNELL ORNITHOLOGY LAB.

THEY DO THESE INCREDIBLE URBAN WILDLIFE PROJECTS, AND THEY WERE REALLY HELPFUL TO TALK ABOUT HOW THIS WOULD WORK AND WHAT WOULD COME TO IT, WHAT MIGHT NOT COME TO IT.

THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET SOMEONE TO LOOK AND OBSERVE FOR TEN MINUTES, AND THEY HAD SAID, YOU KNOW, "TEN MINUTES OF OBSERVATION IS AN INCREDIBLY LONG TIME FOR A PERSON," AND THIS IDEA OF SLOWING DOWN AND REALLY OBSERVING, I THINK IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING IDEA ALSO FOR VISUAL ART.

WE'RE DEALING WITH NATURE.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

WILL THE BIRDS NEST THERE, OR WILL THEY NOT?

LET'S SAY NOTHING HAPPENS.

IT NEEDED TO BE INTERESTING AS A SCULPTURE.

THE THING THAT MADE ME INTERESTED IN THE PCE AS A SCULPTURE WAS THIS IDEA THAT I'M GONNA PUT THE SCULPTURE IN A LOCATION WHERE YOU HAVE TO WALK THROUGH IT.

THE WALK ITSELF BECOMES LIKE A NEGATIVE SPACE IN THE SCULPTURE AND THAT YOU HAVE THIS THIS VERY DYNAMIC EXPERIENCE OF IT, AND THAT YOU SEE IT FROM FAR AWAY, AND THEN IN PERSPECTIVE, IT GROWS, AND THEN YOU ACTUALLY ARE IN THE INTERIOR OF IT, AND THEN YOU EXIT.

I THINK THE HIGH LINE IS VERY BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED.

THERE ARE ALL THESE DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE YOU CAN STOP AND LOOK, AND IT FRAMES THE CITY.

AND I WAS THINKING IT SHOULD BE METAL LIKE IT'S LIKE A LITTLE IT'S ALMOST LIKE A PETRI DISH.

THIS IS A ONE-TO-ONE SCALE MODEL OF WHAT I'LL HAVE FABRICATED.

I'D LIKE TO HAVE THE PCES FEEL AS IF THEY'RE PUT TOGETHER INTUITIVELY BY HAND IN THE MOMENT, SO IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BUILD SOMETHING IN THE STUDIO WHERE I COULD START FEELING, "THIS NEEDS TO BE MORE DENSE, THE SIZE NEED TO GROW," AND PLAY AROU HAVE THE IDEA OF PLAY AND FLEXIBILITY IN THE MAKING.

ONE THING THAT WAS INTERESTING ABOUT THIS PROJECT FOR ME WAS THAT IT WAS VERY HARD TO DRAW.

I DID ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THIS IDEA OF BEING SPLIT DOWN THE CENTER, TO FIGURE OUT IN SPACE HOW THIS WOULD WORK BECAUSE THE PROMENADE CUTS THE PCE IN HALF, AND THIS IS THE ONE THAT I CHOSE, PARTIALLY BECAUSE IT HAS THIS SPIRALING UP THAT'S SURPRISING.

THERE'S A BALL THAT ACTUALLY FITS.

YOU CAN USE THIS.

THE NEGATIVE SPACE IS ACTUALLY ROUND, AND YOU DON'T REALLY REALIZE IT UNTIL YOU GET INTO IT, SO IT WAS BUILT AROUND A BALL.

THIS IS A REALLY SIMPLE JIG TO ACTUALLY FIGURE OUT A VERY COMPLEX EQUATION, WHICH IS HOW DOES HOW DOES THIS NEG IF WE WANT TO CARVE OUT A BALL, HOW DO YOU DO IT?

SO THIS IS JUST THIS IS JUST THE RADIUS, BUT IT'S THE RADIUS AT ANY ANGLE.

THERE IS A CENTER OF THE PCE, KIND OF A PALLADIAN IDEA.

EVEN IF YOU DON'T CONSCIOUSLY REALIZE YOU'RE IN YOU'RE IN A NEGATIVE SPACE OF A BALL, AND IT HAS THIS KIND OF SENSE OF BEING SURROUNDED.

PORTABLE PLANETARIUM WAS A PCE I DID THAT ACTUALLY WAS THE ORB, AND IT WAS SCALED VERY MUCH TO THIS IDEA THAT YOU SAW IT AS AN ORB, AND AS YOU GOT CLOSER AND CLOSER, YOU MOVED IN, AND YOU WERE SURROUNDED, SO YOU WENT FROM SEEING IT AS AN EXTERIOR TO BEING IN ITS INTERIOR.

I'LL PHOTOGRAPH THIS PCE OVER AND OVER.

ONE OF THE IDEAS I HAD ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE SCULPTURE WAS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS REALLY BECOME THE MEMORY OF THE PCE.

I'M TRYING NOT TO JUST DOCUMENT THEM BUT TO SEE WHAT I CAN DO IN A PHOTOGRAPH THAT TELLS US SOMETHING DIFFERENT OR EMPHASIZES WHAT'S SORT OF ESSENTIAL ABOUT THE PCE.

THIS PCE IS PLAYING WITH ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE TO REPRESENT, TO TRICK OUR EYES INTO SEEING DEEP SPACE, SO IT'S KIND OF ABSURD TO ACTUALLY USE THAT TRICK IN REAL SPACE, BUT THEN IT'S INTERESTING TO PHOTOGRAPH, THEN FLATTEN IT OUT AGAIN.

FOR ME, IT BECOMES MORE LIKE A RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTIVIST DRAWING OR A FUTURIST PAINTING IN THAT, IT'S DESCRIBING SPEED AND MOVEMENT BUT ENTIRELY ON A FLAT, STILL PLANE.

IT'S ALSO FUNNY BECAUSE THESE ALMOST BECOME COMPUTER IMAGES WHEN THEY'RE FLATTENED OUT.

THEY'RE SO CRISP, RIGHT?

BECAUSE THEY'RE SO EXACTLY IN PERSPECTIVE, ACTUALLY.

[ grinder buzzes ] [ welding torch crackling ] THERE'S THIS KIND OF SCAFFOLDING THAT'S GONNA BE THE BASE OF THE PCE.

THEN THERE ARE THESE ELEMENTS THAT EACH HAVE A DIFFERENT FUNCTION, THERE'S WATER, HOUSING, AND FOOD, AND THERE ARE THESE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, AND THEY'RE BASED PARTIALLY AESTHETICALLY AND PARTIALLY ON RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL NEED FOR HOW THIS MIGHT WORK.

ORIGINALLY, I BUILT THESE STRINGS AS A JIG TO MEASURE.

RIGHT NOW, ALL OF THESE BOXES ALIGNED SHOULD BE PARALLEL ON THE SIDES TO THESE STRINGS.

ALL OF THE FRONTS AND THE BACKS SHOULD BE PARALLEL TO THE BLUE TAPE.

AFTER I BUILT IT, I THOUGHT, "I LIKE THIS LANGUAGE."

YOU FEEL THE ACTUAL THINKING PROCESS OF TRYING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM.

THIS STRING SYSTEM WAS, IN AND OF ITSELF, AESTHETICALLY VERY INTERESTING, SO THEN THIS IS GONNA BECOME PART OF THE PCE.

I WAS THINKING IT SHOULD BE METAL.

- SWIVEL DOWN - THESE CLAMPS MAY BE COMPLETELY DECORATIVE.

THEY MAY NOT BE DOING ANYTHING, BUT THEY SIGNIFY A KIND OF FLEXIBILITY.

- TO MAKE THE RIGHT ANGLE.

I MEAN, THE ONLY PROBLEM IS, THIS IS GONNA [ grinder buzzes ] [ drill whirring ] - SCALE IS CRUCIAL WHEN YOU'RE WORKING OUTDOORS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE IN MANHATTAN.

THE SPECTACLE OF SPACE, OF SCALE, OF INFORMATION IS SO HIGH THAT THE SIZE IS CRUCIAL.

I'M INTERESTED TO TAKE A PUBLIC PCE AND HAVE IT FEEL INTIMATE, AND THEN WHEN YOU GET THERE, YOU FEEL SLIGHTLY EMBRACED BY THE PCE ITSELF, SLIGHTLY NESTED, WHICH PLAYS ON THE IDEA OF THE HABITAT.

I'M ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT HOW THE FRAME CAN BLEED OUT INTO THE LOCATION.

ONE OF THE IDEAS IN THIS PCE THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S OUTDOORS, IT STILL HAS THIS QUALITY THAT IT'S MUTABLE, CHANGEABLE, THAT YOU COULD COME BACK IN A WEEK, AND IT WOULD BE CONFIGURED DIFFERENTLY.

THIS IS CORRECT, AND THAT'S CORRECT, AND THAT'S CORRECT FOR WHAT I HAVE.

[ power tools whirring ] I STUDIED ARCHITECTURE AND PAINTING, SO I CAME TO SCULPTURE FROM THOSE DISCIPLINES.

I'M ALWAYS THINKING, "WHAT CAN YOU DO IN A SCULPTURE THAT YOU CAN'T DO IN A DRAWING?

WHAT CAN YOU DO IN A BUILDING THAT YOU CAN'T DO IN A PRINT?"

MY FATHER IS AN ARCHITECT, SO I GREW UP AROUND MODELS, PLANS, LOOKING AT CONSTRUCTION SITES, AND ALSO WITH HIS EYE OF JUST ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT BUILDINGS AND CITIES.

THAT LOOKS GOOD.

YEAH, THAT LOOKS GOOD.

THAT ONE LOOKS RIGHT.

THIS ONE LOOKS WRONG, BUT, I MEAN, THAT'S THE ONE THAT I MADE UP, SO... [ drill whirring ] YEAH, 'CAUSE IT THAT CREATES, LIKE, A... [ imitates ticking ] A RHYTHM FROM THERE TO THERE TO THERE.

IT'S GOOD.

[ power tools whirring ] MY WHOLE BODY OF WORK HAS THIS KIND OF FLEXIBLE, MUTABLE QUALITY.

IT HAS THE RAWNESS OF A STUDIO OR THE RAWNESS OF A LABORATORY WHERE THINGS COULD HAPPEN OR THINGS COULD FALL APART.

I THINK ABOUT THE FIRST VIEW OF A PCE BEING LIKE THE FIRST LINE IN A NOVEL.

WHEN YOU LEAVE, WHAT'S THE LAST PART OF THE NOVEL?

WHERE DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR VIEWER'S INTEREST?

WHERE DO YOU CHALLENGE THEM?

WHERE'S THE CATHARSIS?

SO THAT IT IS REALLY A KIND OF NARRATIVE STORY OF MOVEMENT THROUGH SPACE.

I TALK ABOUT THE IDEA OF CHOREOGRAPHED EXPERIENCE OF THE VIEWER THROUGH THE SPACE.

YOU BECOME AWARE OF YOUR BODY IN RELATION TO THE WORK.

ONE OF THE IDEAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IN TERMS OF THE MATERIALS I USE WAS ACCESSIBILITY.

A LOT OF THE MATERIALS WERE THINGS THAT YOU COULD GET AT A DOLLAR STORE.

THEY'RE VERY GENERIC.

THE CULTURAL VALUE, THE MONETARY VALUE WOULD BE VERY LOW, AND THEN PUT THEM IN A LOCATION WHERE THAT BECAME VERY HIGH.

SO THE SHIFTS IN SCALE WERE REALLY INTERESTING TO ME, LITERALLY, IN TERMS OF SPACE, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF THE PROFOUND AND THE MUNDANE, THE FLEETING AND THE PERMANENT, A PCE THAT'S ALWAYS TEETERING.

TOKYOWAS A VERY HARD PCE TO PHOTOGRAPH, FILM.

IT'SYOU HAVE TO SEE IT IN PERSON, REALLY.

SOME OF MY WORK IS REALLY ABOUT USING SPACES THAT GO UNNOTICED OR UNOCCUPIED.

IN A MUSEUM THAT'S DESIGNED TO SEE WORK, TO THEN PUT IT IN A PLACE LIKE THE VENTILATION BY THE WINDOW IS KIND OF A NICE OPPORTUNITY.

I'D VERY MUCH LIKE THE EXPERIENCE OF VIEWING TO BE ONE OF DISCOVERY, THAT YOU DON'T WALK IN, SOMETHING IS PRESENTED, AND IT'S FRAMED, AND IT SAYS, "THIS IS IMPORTANT; I'M ART."

OFTEN, WITH MY WORK, IT'LL BE IN A CORNER, OR IT'LL BE BEHIND A STAIR.

IT'LL BE NEAR THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR SO THAT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF FIRST IS, "WHAT IS THIS?"

FOR ME, MOST INTERESTING ART ALWAYS HAS THAT QUESTION IN IT.

IT ALWAYS QUESTIONS WHAT ART IS.

[ crowd chattering ] - ARE WE TRYING TO GET THE BIRDS TO COME?

- I DON'T KNOW.

LET'S ASK.

- WHAT ARE WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?

- WELL, IT'S AN ARTWORK, BUT IT'S ALSO A BIRD FEEDER AND A BIRD HABITAT.

- AND BIRDS EAT ORANGES?

- YES, ORIOLES EAT ORANGES.

YEP.

- VERY INTERESTING.

- YEP.

AND BUTTERFLIES AND BEES TOO.

- IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PCE, BUT I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND THE FRUIT ON IT.

WELL, IT'S A SCULPTURE WORK, BUT IT'S A BIRD HABITAT.

- THAT'S WHAT I TOLD YOU.

IT'S FOR THE BIRDS.

- FOR THE BIRDS.

[ both laugh ] - SOMEBODY'S PUT THEIR OWN SEEDS IN, 'CAUSE WE DON'T USE THESE SEEDS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS IN MY PCES THAT AREN'T HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH LEAVING THINGS OR FOR BIRDS, BUT IS THAT PEOPLE, ACTUALLY, IN MUSEUMS WILL LEAVE OBJECTS FROM THEIR POCKETS IN THE PCE.

- AND PUT MORE WATER.

- YEAH.

- AND WHO'S THE ARTIST?

WHO DID THAT?

- I'M THE ARTIST.

- OH, YOU'RE THE ARTIST.

CONGRATULATIONS.

THAT'S REALLY BEAUTIFUL.

C'EST LA DAME ACTUELLE QUI TU FAIT.

- FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ON BIRDS AND WHAT BIRDS LIKE AND WHAT COULD DIFFERENT KIND OF THINGS COULD ATTRACT DIFFERENT KIND OF BIRDS.

- WHICH BIRDS ARE YOU ATTRACTING IN HERE?

- WELL, THESE ONES ARE THIS IS SORT OF THE IT'S A VERY GOOD BASIC BIRD SEED JUST TO USE.

- USE FOR ANY BIRD?

- YEAH.

- AND IS IT GOING TO STAY FOR A LONG TIME?

- ONE YEAR.

YEAH.

- ONE YEAR.

WOW.

SO THAT IS DOING AN EXPERIMENT AT THE SAME TIME?

- EXACTLY.

- THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

- THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.

IT'S AN EXPERIMENT.

- THANK YOU.

- SURE.

- AU REVOIR.

- AU REVOIR.

- SAY TRES BON.

- TRES BON.

- MERCI.

- IT LOOKS LIKE A BIRDHOUSE.

- CUTE.

- DISCOVERED A NEW USE FOR ORANGES: WIPING AWAY BIRD POOP.

[ laughs ] THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

HOW DID I MAKE IT?

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

SO WHAT I DID WAS, I MADE THE ENTIRE THING IN A MODEL, SO ALL OF THIS I MADE IN WOOD, AND THESE WERE ALL MADE IN CARDBOARD, AND WE USEDWE PUT WE PUT ALL OF THESE STRINGS HERE AS A GUIDE SO WE COULD FIGURE OUT ONE-POINT PERSPECTIVE.

SEE ALL THESEE?

THEY'VE BEEN EATING LIKE CRAZY, AND WE'VE BEEN REFILLING THEM, AND THEY ALSO COME FOR THE WATER TOO.

IT'LL BE DIFFERENT EVERY SEASON.

- COOL.

- THANK YOU.

- YOU PUT ORANGES THERE, YOU'LL GET BALTIMORE ORIOLES.

- YEAH, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HOPING.

I HEARD THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH IN BROOKLYN, BUT NOT THEY DON'T USUALLY HAVE THEM ON THE HIGH LINE, BUT THERETHERE'S ORANGES, AND THERE'S APPLES.

- OH.

- ALSO, IT'S JUST NICE FOR COLOR.

- THANKS.

- OH, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE FLYING IN.

THERE YOU GO.

THEY'RE INTERESTED.

THEY ASK QUESTIONS.

IT JUST BLENDS IN WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, BLENDS IN WITH THE PATHWAY.

THEY'RE NOT QUESTIONING WHY IT'S THERE IN THE SAME WAY THAT YOU OFTEN HAVE WITH PUBLIC ART.

YOU KNOW?

THAT'S GOOD.

[ laughs ] - I LOVE BUMBLEBEES!

'CAUSE I SAW THEM!

I LOVE BUMBLEBEES!

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