Rosemary Square, the 72-acre Related Companies property in West Palm Beach, will unveil three new monumental works of art to join the rapidly expanding cultural destination. Internationally-acclaimed for infusing art and culture into its developments, Related Companies most recently developed The Vessel, the interactive centerpiece of Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s West Side, and High Line Nine, a gallery and exhibition space located beneath the High Line.
Rosemary Square and Related Companies continue to help transform West Palm into a thriving global arts and culture destination. The Wishing Tree, a towering 32-foot-tall LED banyan tree by Symmetry Labs, and MEIYW (My East Is Your West), a thought provoking light installation by artist Shilpa Gupta, will join the lyrical Water Pavilion West Palm. New York-based Culture Corps -- Doreen Remen And Yvonne Force Villareal -- assisted in curating the group of works, helping Related Companies create the largest concentration of public art installed by a private company in Palm Beach County.
Guests will experience the first interactive light show of The Wishing Tree on November 30 during Rosemary Square’s holiday kickoff with the commemoration of the Water Pavilion on December 6. These three monumental installations are a part of Related Companies’ commitment to public art and design and add to the legacy of the arts-rich community.
“West Palm Beach has become the cultural corridor of South Florida in recent years, with an explosion of thought-provoking public art and world-class institutions that pique curiosity and foster conversation,” said Gopal Rajegowda, Senior Vice President of Related Companies. “By infusing art and culture into our public spaces, Related Companies is creating memorable shared experiences for guests, while enhancing the quality of life for residents, and contributing to the overall economic growth of Downtown West Palm Beach.”
Pushing the boundaries of art and technology, and commissioned by Related Companies specifically for Rosemary Square, The Wishing Tree by Symmetry Labs celebrates the history of the banyan tree in West Palm Beach coupled with Related Companies’ vision to unite the community through immersive public art experiences. The towering structure’s 10,000 leaves are comprised of 100,000 individually addressable, full-color-spectrum LEDs that turn a myriad of swirling colors, creating a captivating ever-changing light show.
Symmetry Labs says of the piece, “We hope, despite the technological complexity, that the piece invokes a simple and beautiful feeling: the wonder of nature and humans working in harmony, the possibilities we can achieve together when we share knowledge and wisdom, and the awe of life itself.”
Berlin-based Danish artist Jeppe Hein, who is most notable for his recent Breathe with Me installation in both the United Nations headquarters and Central Park in New York, designed Water Pavilion West Palm, which invites both children and adults alike to interact with the playfully ephemeral piece. Hein refers to the installation as a “social sculpture,” which allows viewers to walk in and out of “rooms” created by the vertical columns of water.
In addition, led-light installation MEIYW (My East Is Your West) by Mumbai-based artist Shilpa Gupta will illuminate Rosemary Square. Known for using technologies and typefaces in her work, the installation features a sequence of letters, WMYEIAOSUTR, which light up successively. The pulsating light rearranges the letters to reveal the true meaning of the sentence, “My East Is Your West”, encouraging viewers to reflect upon social, political, and geographical boundaries and identities.
According to a report by Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and the Americans for the Arts Economic Prosperity 5, Palm Beach County boasts the largest cultural sector per capita in the southeastern United States with West Palm Beach being the largest city and urban core of the county – a clear catalyst for the expansion of cultural institution space in and around Downtown West Palm Beach.
“Ambitious and permanent public art installations by renowned artists like Jeppe Hein, Symmetry Labs and Shilpa Gupta are an exciting occurrence, and provide a meaningful and ongoing focal point for the community. Their contribution to Rosemary Square is an invitation to visitors of all ages to share in a moment of delight, creating joyful memories for the West Palm Beach community and beyond,” said Doreen Remen, co-founder of Culture Corps, the curators of the project.
Related Companies’ plan for the future of Rosemary Square complements nearby cultural institutions including the re-envisioned Norton Museum of Art designed by world-renowned architect Lord Norman Foster. The museum boasts new spaces for public gatherings, a restaurant, and vast outdoor sculpture areas. Foster’s redesign of the museum is part of the first phase of a 20-year plan to redevelop the Norton’s 6.3-acre campus. Also underway in the neighborhood is the Kravis Center for Performing Arts’ 6,000-square-foot expansion of its performance halls and a re-imagined facade that will make the connection to Rosemary Square and the Convention Center more pedestrian-friendly. To date, Related has collaborated with these and other local cultural institutions including the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Ballet Florida, Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, and Armory Art Center. Additions at Rosemary Square enrich the community along with existing collections at Hilton West Palm Beach, RH West Palm and 2,000+ feet of large-scale murals created by world-renowned and local artists including RETNA, Frankie Cihi, Rico Gatson, Michael Craig-Martin and Greg Astro.
“At Rosemary Square, it is important for us to partner with our neighboring cultural institutions, as well as local and international artists and curators to bring a diverse collection to the neighborhood for the community to enjoy,” Rajegowda added. “Accessibility to the arts is integral in maintaining the vitality of South Florida and the growing prestige of Palm Beach as a national and international arts destination.”
For information, please visit www.rosemarysquarewpb.com.
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MY EAST IS YOUR WESTMEIYW, a thought provoking light installation by artist Shilpa Gupta
Jeppe Hein, Water Pavilion, a “social sculpture” creating rooms with vertical columns of water, 2019
