Site Sensitive
In December of 2021, Salt Mine Projects, a subsidiary of Duane Park Studios was hired as the art consultants on the mixed use twin buildings designed by the global phenomenon Bjarke Ingels and his company BIG.
Incorporating the High Line and rising forty stories from a massive block wide site in Chelsea Manhattan, the XI as it was originally branded, joins a literal Gold Coast of architectural innovation along the West Side Highway.
It was unanimously agreed that the project would benefit from the presence of internationally recognized artists working in close synchronicity with both the visionary architecture of BIG and the underlying philosophy of an aesthetically savvy developer. Themes of air, earth and water formed the general framework of our initial artist search. Not Vital, Richard Long, Sol Lewitt, Lorna Simpson, Josiah McElheny, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Ian Hamilton Findlay were amongst our final selection. Christina von Schilling, a seasoned veteran of demanding site specific installation and artistic liaison in the contemporary art community, was brought on as a partner to help complete the project.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the XI went into default in 2021 and the project lay dormant for over two years. The project was recently purchased and is scheduled for completion in Winter of 2024. It has been rebranded as One High Line under the experienced and tested leadership of The Witkoff Group and Access Industries.
Duane Park Studios would like to acknowledge the support of Thorsten Kiefer, the original Director of Design at HFZ Capital now working independently, and Bernadette Blanc, who has joined forces with the new owners to insure the aesthetic continuity of this groundbreaking project.