"When the legendary sculptor Isamu Noguchi was tapped to redesign a blighted public park in Miami, he conceived of the project as a village green-a place where the community would gather with purpose, rather than just a manicured lawn. Originally built in 1925 after three years of construction, the park had fallen into complete disrepair by the time Noguchi was approached."
"After all, Miami in the 1980s was one of the US's most problematic cities; the arrival of Cuban immigrants during the Mariel exodus-when Fidel Castro famously released imprisoned men as a slight to the US-coincided with a wave of crime in the city. It was an era when the so-called Cocaine Cowboys reigned, and poverty and bloodshed were rampant. Downtown Miami, where the park is located, had become one of the most derelict and dangerous areas in the city, and a revitalisation was sorely needed."
"Noguchi's first move was to persuade the city to remove a library building that was obstructing views of the bay. The visual connection between land and water would be the driving principle behind Noguchi's Bayfront Park. His design incorporated sculptural elements that functioned as sites of play, an open-air amphitheatre and a fountain capping off a large promenade. Though Noguchi died in 1988, before he could finish the park, his longtime collaborator Shoji Sadao saw it through to completion in 1996."
Isamu Noguchi conceived Bayfront Park as a village green to encourage purposeful community gathering rather than a manicured lawn. The park, built in 1925, had fallen into disrepair by the 1980s amid Miami's social unrest, immigrant influx, crime waves, and economic decline. Noguchi persuaded the city to remove a library blocking bay views to create a visual land-water connection. The design included sculptural play elements, an open-air amphitheatre, a fountain, and a promenade. Noguchi died before completion; collaborator Shoji Sadao completed the park in 1996. The park now hosts music and cultural events.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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