FREE ESSAY ON UPPER ROOM

UPPER ROOM

When an artist displays a work of art in a public place such as Battery Park City, he or
she must take into consideration the degree of interaction that may take place between
the public and their work of art. When I spoke with the artist of The Upper Room, Ned
Smyth, he explained his intention of the publics' interaction with his sculpture was to
be both physical and emotional. In this paper, I will discuss the different issues that
have made his intent a success. 
First, I will address the impact that the physical appearance of the work has on the
public, and why. The Upper Room is constructed from concrete with inlayed stone and glass
mosaic. It is a large-scale sculpture, yet it is very welcoming to the eye of the public
and not overpowering. The sense of feeling invited into the piece comes partly from the
pastel pink color of the concrete and the mystery of the mosaic pattern that is inlayed
into it. The artist's dynamic use of space also creates an inviting aura. There are steps
leading up to a colonnade, which is not attached to an actual building. This is unusual
when studying the history of architecture. The entire room was created by a series of
surrounding columns, none of which are attached to any sort of wall or ceiling. The
artist explained to me that he wanted to create an interior room as a part of the
exterior environment he was given to display his work in. He wanted to create a space,
rather then to create an object. He chose not to have an enclosed area, because that
would make the work separate from the environment and the people in that environment as
well. 
The space in which The Upper Room is displayed is an important issue when discussing the
physical and emotional interactions of the public. The sculpture is located in Battery
Park City, at the end of Albany Street at the Esplanade. As people walk along the path,
they can visually see the sculpture, which is off to the side. It is not placed in an
area of direct, high foot-traffic; hence people are not forced to walk through the
sculpture. The interaction of the public with the piece is by choice, and is private in a
sense. People become physically interacted with the piece, because it offers a place to
sit and rest, eat, meet with friends, or simply to enjoy the view of the water. 
Other works of art in Battery Park City offer public interaction, such as Scott Burtons'
Sculptural furniture. This is also a functional piece of sculpture made up of tables and
chairs, and long benches. The difference in these two works, is that the Sculptural
Furniture is not enclosed in a room like structure. Another piece of public art in
Battery Park City is the Police Memorial by, Stewart B.Crawford. This piece does not
function in the same way as furniture, rather it functions as an emotional stimulant.
Also, This sculpture is much more private then the other two that I have mentioned. It is
located in a corner and is only accessible by stepping down into the enclosed space it
occupies.
The Upper Room is located amongst residential and corporate buildings. With this in mind,
the artist said that he wanted to alter the environment of the city by creating a unique
area for the public to escape to. He expressed that he wanted this work to be an
alternative and fanciful piece of Art amongst the massive quantity of architecture in New
York City. When I viewed the sculpture, there were people escaping from every day life by
sitting on the stools reading the newspaper, and talking with friends. There were also
children using their imagination by pretending they were in an enchanted castle. The
artist told me that when the sculpture was first put up in 1987, there were complaints
from people living in the apartments close by. They complained that large groups of
people (including Hells Angels) were having loud parties late at night inside The Upper
Room. Here we can see the positive and negative effects that were created due to the
surrounding space of the sculpture.
The Upper Room was created with the intent of evoking a set of shared values of the
public. The artist wanted to create a place for people to come together. He made stools
with a long table that has six chessboards (inlayed with stone) on top, as a place for
people to commune and interact with one another over a common activity. The space was
created for a pubic meeting area as well. This is another way that the artist aimed at
gaining the physical and emotional interactions of the public. 
The actual structure of The Upper Room has a sense of many different styles of
architecture. It appears to have Gothic, Roman, Egyptian, Islamic, and, Medieval
influences all combined to form a unique conglomerate of architecture. People of many
different cultures can relate to the different types of architecture, which are
noticeably present in this sculpture. Bringing together different cultures and styles
into one work of art is a reflection of American society. The relatively, diverse group
of people who come into contact with The Upper Room are all connected, in a sense, by the
work of art. There are many differences in culture between the people of America, and the
people of other areas of the world such as Europe. The artist explained that Americans
are very fast paced and do not take the time to relax, as do people in other countries.
With this in mind, this sculpture was created as a way to bring leisure and relaxation
into a busy schedule. It was created as a way for the public to escape from the hustle
and bustle of city life. The artist focused on making this room a whimsical and enjoyable
place for the entire community to share.
The Upper Room also embodies religious influences, which are not so direct as the
historic architectural influences. A church or temple, are both areas of worship and
respect. The artist said that he added symbols of religious meaning to the work to evoke
shared values of the public. Rather then using traditional symbols of religion, he chose
a tree. There are two palm trees in the room they function as symbols of personal growth.
These two parts of the sculpture are the most decorative, and are the two areas which I
personally spent the most time examining. The colors are brighter and the design is more
elaborate in these two specific areas. There is so much going on decoratively in these
two symbolic trees that stimulated me emotionally. 
Other religious symbols were taken into account when creating the sculpture. The number
of stools around the table with chess boards is twelve, relating to the twelve apostles.
Also, the long table is meant to symbolize an alter. Lastly, the artist said he raised
the structure and added a base with steps, as most places of worship also have, as a way
to symbolize being closer to God. All of these symbols of religion have personal meaning
to the artist, but are also incorporated into the piece to have an emotional impact on
the viewer.
The different ways in which people interact with this piece of work, from my experiences,
are what the artist intended upon. The artist carefully chose to make a work of art that
people can interact with, a work that functions in multiple ways. As I have discussed,
people in the public interact both physically and emotionally with The Upper Room. The
form, surrounding space, evocation of shared values', and historical and religious
influences all play a role in helping the sculpture to be functional and create public
interaction and community.