Central Park, New York , 2011/2017
CARTAS AL CIELO
Poetic postbox to send letters to people that are not with us anymore
Stainless Steel Sphere, 150 cm diameter
Exhibition: “Drifting in Daylight” for CREATIVE TIME, Central Park, New York
To look up at the sky is a reflex action, a moment filled with hope, desire or desperation. The sky is the place that holds our secrets, our loved ones and the afterlife. In order to formalize that whole world, Alicia made a postbox from which the Earth’s citizens can send letters to the afterlife. The Cartas al Cielo postbox has the shape of eternity: a sphere, with no corners, without limits. The sphere is the shape of the universe, of our world, of the other world. The envelopes contain letters for people who have disappeared, people with no address. All these letters need a special postbox. In Spanish, cielo (sky) means the place above us, the promised place, the place for missing people, the Promised Land. These multiple meanings allow the work to be read in several ways and perform different functions. This postal service to the afterlife is a poetic work that follows the line of works such as Dreamkeeper (1997) and Wishing Wall (1998), projects that focus on our desires, dreams and the immaterial world that we humans are made of.
New York City-based public art non-profit Creative Time and Alicia Framis announce the inclusion of Framis’s sculpture “Cartas al Cielo” in Creative Time’s newest exhibition “Drifting in Daylight,” to open in Central Park on May 15, 2015. The exhibition is the result of a partnership between Creative Time and Central Park Conservancy (CPC), and will serve as the centerpiece of CPC’s 35th Anniversary celebration.
This free public exhibition aimed to draw visitors into the park’s beautiful north end, much of which has been expertly restored by the Conservancy. The exhibition draws inspiration from Central Park’s designer Frederick Law Olmsted, one of the world’s best landscape architects, who was captivated by the idea of stimulating public life through creative landscape design.
“Cartas al Cielo” reminds us that to look up at the sky is a reflex action, a moment filled with hope, desire, or desperation. The sky is the place that holds our secrets, our loved ones, and the afterlife. In order to formalize that world, Framis has made a post box that allows citizens of Earth to send letters to the afterlife. The post box has the shape of eternity: a sphere, with no corners, without limits. The sphere is the shape of the universe, of our world, of the other world. The envelopes contain letters for people who have disappeared, people with no address. In Spanish, sky means “the place above us,” the promised place, the place for missing people, the Promised Land. This double meaning allows the work to have numerous readings and different functions. This postal service to the afterlife is a poetic work that follows the line of works by Framis such as “Dreamkeeper” (1997), and “Wishing Wall” (1998), projects that focus on our desires, dreams, and the immaterial world that we humans are part of.
Creative Time’s May 2015 exhibition attracted over 180.000 visitors, and “Drifting in Daylight” marked the most geographically expansive art project in Central Park since Christo and Jean-Claude’s 2005 installation of the Gates. Other artists included: David Levine, Spencer Finch, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Lauri Stallings, amongst others.
Central Park Conservancy restores, manages, and enhances Central Park in partnership with the public, for the enjoyment of all. A private nonprofit organization founded in 1980, Central Park Conservancy raises 75% of the annual budget essential to keeping Central Park beautiful. The Conservancy is committed to sharing its world-class urban park management practices both locally and globally.
To look up at the sky is a reflex action, a moment filled with hope, desire or desperation. The sky is the place that holds our secrets, our loved ones and the afterlife. In order to formalize that whole world, Alicia made a postbox from which the Earth’s citizens can send letters to the afterlife. The Cartas al Cielo postbox has the shape of eternity: a sphere, with no corners, without limits. The sphere is the shape of the universe, of our world, of the other world. The envelopes contain letters for people who have disappeared, people with no address. All these letters need a special postbox. In Spanish, cielo (sky) means the place above us, the promised place, the place for missing people, the Promised Land. These multiple meanings allow the work to be read in several ways and perform different functions. This postal service to the afterlife is a poetic work that follows the line of works such as Dreamkeeper (1997) and Wishing Wall (1998), projects that focus on our desires, dreams and the immaterial world that we humans are made of.
New York City-based public art non-profit Creative Time and Alicia Framis announce the inclusion of Framis’s sculpture “Cartas al Cielo” in Creative Time’s newest exhibition “Drifting in Daylight,” to open in Central Park on May 15, 2015. The exhibition is the result of a partnership between Creative Time and Central Park Conservancy (CPC), and will serve as the centerpiece of CPC’s 35th Anniversary celebration.
This free public exhibition aimed to draw visitors into the park’s beautiful north end, much of which has been expertly restored by the Conservancy. The exhibition draws inspiration from Central Park’s designer Frederick Law Olmsted, one of the world’s best landscape architects, who was captivated by the idea of stimulating public life through creative landscape design.
“Cartas al Cielo” reminds us that to look up at the sky is a reflex action, a moment filled with hope, desire, or desperation. The sky is the place that holds our secrets, our loved ones, and the afterlife. In order to formalize that world, Framis has made a post box that allows citizens of Earth to send letters to the afterlife. The post box has the shape of eternity: a sphere, with no corners, without limits. The sphere is the shape of the universe, of our world, of the other world. The envelopes contain letters for people who have disappeared, people with no address. In Spanish, sky means “the place above us,” the promised place, the place for missing people, the Promised Land. This double meaning allows the work to have numerous readings and different functions. This postal service to the afterlife is a poetic work that follows the line of works by Framis such as “Dreamkeeper” (1997), and “Wishing Wall” (1998), projects that focus on our desires, dreams, and the immaterial world that we humans are part of.
Creative Time’s May 2015 exhibition attracted over 180.000 visitors, and “Drifting in Daylight” marked the most geographically expansive art project in Central Park since Christo and Jean-Claude’s 2005 installation of the Gates. Other artists included: David Levine, Spencer Finch, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Lauri Stallings, amongst others.
Central Park Conservancy restores, manages, and enhances Central Park in partnership with the public, for the enjoyment of all. A private nonprofit organization founded in 1980, Central Park Conservancy raises 75% of the annual budget essential to keeping Central Park beautiful. The Conservancy is committed to sharing its world-class urban park management practices both locally and globally.