Someone Woke Up And Thought, "You Know What New York City Needs? A 16 Foot Tall Pigeon Sculpture"

There is a side of me that I don't often expose to the public for fear of being made fun of or accused of pretension, and that is my appreciation for art. I've been to nearly every art museum in New York, I make it a point to visit art when I travel, I'm fascinated by the work and stories that go into someone else's vision. I'm one of those people that can purposefully FIND the art in everything - I can spin a story with the best of them. I don't see it as a challenge to shift your brain into thinking that a canvas covered in paint that looks like it could've been made in first grade free play, is actually the complex, layered process of grief and depression expelled by a troubled, recovering drug addict who lived through the AIDS crisis. I truly believe that everything can be seen how you choose to see it, if you let yourself. 

When it comes to large scale art, New York City is famous for short lived instillations in semi-highly trafficked areas, holidays or not. Every Christmas we have the massive ornaments and string lights near Rockefeller center (a block or so from the Tree itself,) but in its off time, Rockefeller Center and many other spots in the city have installed HUGE pieces, most of them courtesy of famous artist Jeff Koons. Rock Center specifically has hosted a Rocking Horse head made of flowers, an upended in-ground pool, and a ballerina in recent years. Downtown NYC during the construction of the new World Trade Center, there was a Jeff Koons balloon animal put up right when Instagram started popping off that had everyone going insane.

Raymond Boyd. Getty Images.

To this day, I have a mini version of another sculpture of his in my apartment (the balloon dog, obviously.) 

Why am I telling you all of this? It's important for me to explain that I am a large proponent of art in general. I'm no phony. The weirder, the bigger, the better. It's so fun to have pieces all over New York City to visit, and it's exciting to find the beauty in them. That being said………..

A PIGEON? On the High Line? 

It's said this pigeon is to represent "the city's spirit." What spirit is that? Herpes and eating literal garbage? Shitting on everyone, also literally? Spreading diseases? It's going to be replacing an existing sculpture that I enjoy very much, called "Old Tree" and meant to symbolize life and how it connects heaven and earth. It's pretty impressive in person and it can be seen from the street below, RIGHT when you get into the city from NJ in most cases. 

I am now going to attempt to see the new cursed impending doom art in this new oversized rat with wings, with no context whatsoever, that will be staring at all passersby starting in September:

"Pigeons truly are the longest standing New Yorkers, brought to Manhattan to do the most important thing we do - communicate with each other. Once the mail system came about, pigeons were rendered obsolete and eventually, homeless. Removing their inherent need to work, they remain in this city. Wandering, lost, trying to make connections with each other AND us, with little to no success in the latter. Nevertheless, they prevail. They are here, they matter, and they WILL be appreciated. They are, New York City." 

Thank you for your time.