http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITZ5Pt2GclQBattery Park City is one of Manhattan’s most picturesque locations. It’s also one of the most synthetic. The carefully crafted promenade, parks, and plazas comprise an area of New York that’s undeniably gorgeous. Yet, somehow, the well-groomed gardens and lawns remind me that centuries ago Manhattan was untouched- its flora and fauna chaotic and beautiful in their original habitat. Today BPC represents the antithesis of that ideal. It is man-made nature, and still there is no denying that it’s beautiful in its artificiality.
I thought this was such a visually stunning piece, but so rarely does a luscious tribute to the flora also incorporate a dynamic, unpredictable soundtrack. The layered, lushly photographed images were complemented by the inventive, textured clamor juxtaposed with well timed silence. This was an exquisite tribute to the land as it meets the architecture – a modern day GEORGIC that I am sure would give Virgil (the original poet of agriculture) a shiver down his spine. I also relished the Battery Park meditation you wrote.