Day's End

2017–2021 | New York NY

Client Whitney Museum of American Art
Artist David Hammons
Engineer Guy Nordenson and Associates
Awards Architizer Architecture +Art Jury Winner

Day’s End is a permanent public art installation in the Hudson River Park. It was proposed by New York City artist David Hammons in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art. The structure is conceived as a "ghost monument" to the celebrated work of the same name by artist Gordon Matta-Clark, who cut giant openings into the since demolished Pier 52 building. Hammons’ work—a minimal, ethereal frame—outlines a place that no longer exists. It raises important questions about the waterfront, inviting viewers to consider the social, cultural, economic and environmental history that it represents.

Through a close collaboration with David Hammons, the stainless steel structure has been developed with as few elements as possible. Slender, 8in beams span 65ft and create a light, open frame that tends to disappear in the sculpture's busy urban context. All of the structural elements were prefabricated and brought to the site in large sections where they were mechanically connected. Corrosive Hudson River waters, sea level rise and future storm scenarios were important considerations in the structure’s design and detailing.