Details in Design

One of the many things that intrigued me about the High Line was the amount of detail and thought that went into the simplistic design. Many people focused on the art that is displayed along the manmade, cement path reminiscent of the railroad as well as the art displayed in the natural, self-sustaining shrubbery. However, art lies within the design as well. The design team, James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio, and Renfro, was able to represent the High Line in even the most minute details such as the benches. As I walked along the cement slabs and viewed all of the art, I began to notice that every bench reminded me of the exact thing I was walking on. The bench, made of the same cement as the pathway, raised itself from the ground and flattened out much like the High Line rises into the air and supports itself. The natural and manmade elements that coexist on the High Line can be seen in the bench design as well. The bench uses the manmade cement to support something natural: People. The bright, yellow light underneath each bench represents the hustle and bustle of the Manhattan streets that one can only see when looking down. However, the light does not make its way past the cement seats of the benches, just as the constant liveliness of New York City cannot be heard from just a few feet above the streets.

Each bench had different people sitting on it, different thoughts, different actions going on all at once. This is exactly what, in my eyes, the High Line allows for; people coming together but managing to stay within their own world. Each person having their own thoughts on the pieces of art and experiencing each piece differently than the person next to them even if everybody is walking along the same exact 1.5-mile pathway in the sky.