Here’s something to puzzle over on this drippy Friday. TLD reader Carol Anastasio snapped this photo after noticing a dumpster on East Broadway filled with boxes labeled, “Abandoned Buildings.” A friend went dumpster diving, retrieving one of the bottles (they all contained photos of old buildings). Carol speculates the bottles were part of an art exhibition. Any intel you might have is welcome!
UPDATE: Thanks to Bryan Viper, who offered up a 2012 link on our Facebook Page, detailing this project by artist Marc Blane:
In 1979 and living in the lower East Side’s Bowery district, Blane became intrigued by a particular brand of wine which was clearly marketed to the city’s street drinkers (with its pocket friendly shape and size and ‘straight from the bottle’ ergonomics). At the same time he was creating other works around the concept of the city’s burnt out high rises. In collecting up the empty green wine bottles a series of works was formed with a photograph of a derelict New York building placed inside each bottle and then cases of 24 of the bottles stamped with the title Abandoned Buildings. NYC’s unwanted all neatly packed up and sold off.
“Abandoned Buildings” was part of the “Times square Show” in 1980. You can read more about it here.
