Humans and Nature

While strolling through the High Line, I came across a sculpture called Rest In by Guan Xiao. The materials, the way it was stacked together, and how it was presented in descending height caught my attention. After reading the plaque, I found out that Xiao included structures that were made of wheel rims and brass, which are manmade items, as well as a vertebrate structure and cast footprint designs that represented life and nature. Her piece served as a futuristic approach at the inseparability between organic materials and manmade products, which perfectly described the way the High Line was built.

Initially an abandoned train rail structure, the High Line was built to safely transport simple everyday commodities within New York. However, after being abandoned with overgrown weeds and wild flowers, the High Line was reconstructed and relaunched as an open space public park for visitors to appreciate the arts and nature within the area. Although the High Line was physically built by humans, many parts of it also encompass nature such as the plants that grew on the tracks over time. Xiao’s work stands tall along the route, within wild flowers and grasses, where visitors can stop by to admire the way it was constructed. The cast footprint that serves as a pedestal illustrates an image of an island and the indents collected the rain water from the day before. Her incorporation of the vertebrate acting as the supporting structure shows how nature becomes the backbone of the High Line despite it being built with metal parts. Just as her work portrays the relationship between humans and nature, the High Line serves as the perfect place for people to walk along not only to see Xiao’s work, but also many other sculptures, or “mutations,” and scenery that is around it.