https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hl3y54u2_k3J53dXzRUc3a1FTeCLlfHKH1gWbKStde0/edit?tab=t.0
For this assignment, we were tasked with creating a public, interactive installation that would cause a “double take”; something surprising and intriguing, but not shocking. Details are below, but this is the final result:
Initially, we were inspired by our professor’s projection work and imagined staging a spectacle in a park that appeared to show rodents or small creatures trapped in jars. However, we quickly ran into practical issues: making the projections look realistic, hiding the projector so the light wouldn’t give it away, and, most decisively, the NYC snowstorm that hit over the weekend. It was brutally cold.
We left the snowpocalypse with a ball of yarn, an abundance of bananas, and a new plan: to create our own “bananapocalypse.”
This idea was loosely inspired by Comedian, the infamous banana duct-taped to a wall by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, which sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby’s. The piece has become weirdly iconic and undeniably memorable as a satire of how art is perceived and valued. Can “bad” art spark outsized controversy and meaning? The fact that it was reportedly purchased by a crypto millionaire only adds another layer of irony and commentary.
We tied the bananas together with yarn and attached a series of pseudo deep banana-themed twists on famous sayings:
- “Seize the banana”
- “The banana is mightier than the sword,”
- “Beauty is in the eye of the banana.”
etc.
We then headed to Bryant Park.
Our next obstacle was placement. Bryant Park security informed us that tripods were not allowed, and much of the park was closed due to snow. Still, we needed a public space, so we hung the bananas near a walk way and hoped we could film long enough before being asked to take it down.
Our goal was for people to stop, read the bananas, and maybe even take one. At first, the installation attracted a surprising amount of interest from pigeons. Eventually, people began stopping as well. The bananas caught their attention, but the text is what made them pause and read the “banana wisdom.” No one took a banana, which we suspect was due to the location and the lack of a clear invitation to interact.
Overall, the experience was both funny and instructive. We had to adapt quickly, navigate public rules, and respond to unexpected interactions…not just with people, but with pigeons too. It reinforced how much context, placement, and clarity matter when creating interactive public art. Unfortunately, we did not get any offers from crypto millionaires to purchase the bananas.