Thursday, June 12, 2014

The Mysterious Wooden Pillars of the Marvin Gaye Playground

This morning I went to visit my field crew in the far eastern corner of DC, where Watts Branch winds through Marvin Gaye Park. There I was puzzled by wooden pillars scattered throughout the park.

I asked what they were. No idea.

They had told me earlier about an old neighbor who came over to talk to them, saying that he had been visiting the playground for 60 years. I asked if they had asked him what the posts where.

They had. He didn't know, and he said he asked some people who work for city parks, and they didn't know either. "Somebody just came out one day and put them up."

Sure.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is a remnant of Patrick McDonough's "Awning Studies:"

http://www.eastcityart.com/2012/07/10/washington-project-for-the-arts-announces-awning-studies-at-marvin-gaye-park-by-patrick-mcdonough/

Apparently it was intended to tell us something about class.

John said...

Wonderful! Thank you so much.

I should have followed my own rule -- if you can't understand it, it must be art.

Funny that the neighbors have no idea what it was about. So much for crossing barriers of class.