Were you waiting for the announcement of Creative Time’s latest commission? Well, we were and the news came this morning: a 25-year-long project with French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, at Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery. On April 29th and 30th, Creative Time will inaugurate “Here Lie The Secrets of the Visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery” at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
If the idea of a being in a cemetery scares you out, don’t freak out just yet. Founded in 1838 and now a historic landmark, Green-Wood Cemetery is a popular tourist destination – think carriage rides, beautiful sculptures and some famous residents like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Horace Greeley.
During the two-day opening, visitors will write their secrets onto paper, seal them in an envelope, and deposit them into the ground, through a slot on a marble obelisk of Calle’s design. The two-day performance will be open and free to the public. Guests are invited to spend the day exploring the sculptures and monuments throughout Green-Wood. Free maps of the cemetery, specially designed to accompany Calle’s installation, will be available. Guided walking tours will also be part of the experience, with an emphasis on symbols and iconography. Following the inaugural performance weekend, visitors to the Cemetery can see Calle’s installation during regular cemetery hours and independently deposit secrets into the marble obelisk.
In a statement, Creative Time Artistic Director Nato Thompson said, “In a time of such social upheaval, delicate gestures like this gain urgency.”
Calle pledged to return periodically over the next 25 years, each time the grave is filled, to exhume and cremate them in a ceremonial bonfire service and moment of remembrance.
image // courtesy of The Green-Wood Cemetery
