About Pallet City

Artists: Katherine Gressel and Jeremy Reed

Pallet City
was an interactive public art project made almost entirely from recycled shipping pallets. Pallet City juxtaposes different common uses of the pallet as an art/building material, and invites participation and feedback, simultaneously raising questions about practicality and aesthetics of pallet use. The city's fluid, linear forms and signage imply different actions that take place within the urban environment: sit (implied by a bench); park (a bike rack); dwell (a shelter); plant (a planter with small garden, which visitors can help water); perform (a stage where visitors can mount and document spontaneous performances); observe (seats accompanying the theater); exhibit (a gallery space with 2-3 different exhibits that the artists will curate during the summer, and a shelf where visitors can curate their own exhibits); play (a playful rolling wave), and learn (an ‘information kiosk’ at one end). Pallet City thus describes the city in terms of active, democratic use rather than passive viewing or restricted areas. The project was meant to spark public dialogue on the notion of city itself and the creation of democratic, sustainable cities. Pallet City was designed for the FIGMENT Terrace season-long sculpture garden on Governors Island in summer 2010.

Pallet City was open to the public at all times Governors Island was open to the public, Friday-Sunday, June 5-October 3, 2010. Please visit the official Governors Island page for directions to the island.

This blog documents the development of the project, and the public's experiences with it.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Project Description

Once a mere industrial by-product, the shipping pallet has in recent years been gaining recognition as an exciting building material. Artists, architects, and environmentalists alike are fascinated with the re-purposing of pallets, as evidenced by myriad blogs and web posts dedicated to pallet houses, furniture, and sculpture. Could building with recycled pallets play a key role in conserving natural resources, providing affordable/relief housing, reducing waste, or, simply, pushing the boundaries of contemporary design?

Pallet City explores the burgeoning role of the pallet by juxtaposing different types of popular pallet re-uses. It invites participation and feedback, simultaneously raising questions about both the practicality and aesthetics of pallet use.

The city’s continuous linear structure is entirely built from recycled pallets, whose forms and signage imply different actions that take place within the urban environment. People are also encouraged to discover their own creative uses for the city. Thus the city is described in terms of active, democratic use rather than passive viewing or restricted access. Its fluid, morphing linear “path” also serves as a metaphor for movement, progress, and interconnectedness in a city of the future. The project also aims to spark public dialogue on the notion of city itself and the creation of more democratic, sustainable cities.

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