Sculpture Installed at Williamsburgs' Northside Piers
Developer Commissioned Local Artist Mark Gibian to Create “Crescendo”
A large stainless steel sculpture was installed on the pier at Northside Piers, a new mixed-use development on Brooklyn’s Williamsburg waterfront. The pier extends 400 feet into the East River and will soon be presented to the city and permanently opened to the public.
The pier’s design called for a shade structure and, rather than install something utilitarian, the developers of Northside Piers elected to commission Mark Gibian, an artist who has lived and worked in Williamsburg for 28 years, to create something unique.
“Our new pier is symbolic of a dramatic and positive shift taking place at the Williamsburg waterfront and we felt it offered a great opportunity to have a member of the Williamsburg arts community influence the neighborhood’s evolution,” said Shirley Jaffe of RD Management, a co-developer of Northside Piers. “The pier offers incredible views of the river and Manhattan and the Gibian’s piece truly advances the visual experience.”
Gibian’s sculpture, entitled “Crescendo” for its small to large progression, is an eight-ton, two-part piece that evokes sea imagery and river life with its rib-like skeletal formation. Crescendo is located at the end of the 400-foot-long pier and provides shade and seating. The piece is composed of highly-specialized stainless steel and extremely fine chain link, which the artists says allows for an “industrial, yet organic presence.”
“The opportunity to create a functional and beautiful piece of art for Northside Piers has been a dream-come-true for me in many ways,” Gibian said. “Crescendo is the first of my pieces ever to be installed in Williamsburg, a neighborhood I’ve called home for decades, and I am thrilled that my neighbors will finally be able to enjoy my work.”
Northside Piers is the first development to rise at the Williamsburg waterfront and a direct result of the city’s Greenpoint-Williamsburg Rezoning of 2005. Residents will move into One Northside Piers later this month, and construction is currently underway at Two Northside Piers. Located on Kent Avenue between North 4th and North 5th Streets in Brooklyn, Northside Piers is a development of Toll Brothers City Living, RD Management and, L&M Development Partners.
The development, which will ultimately feature 800 homes and a public esplanade, is anchoring a larger revitalization of the waterfront of Williamsburg, one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Northside Piers provides market rate and affordable housing along with retail space on Kent Avenue. The pier will soon be turned over to the City of New York for the public to enjoy.
