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Object Timeline

	We acquired this object.
2005	Work on this object began.
2012	Work on this object ended.
2016	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Harlem Hospital Pavilion Facade

This is a Project. It was architect: HOK and Studio JTA and made for (as the client) Harlem Hospital Center (NYC Health + Hospitals). It is dated 2005–12.

Harlem Hospital Mural Pavilion—a new, 192,000-square-foot patient-centered hospital building designed by HOK architecture firm with Harlem-based architect Jack Travis—incorporates a strong cultural expression in its technologically advanced building design and establishes a strong community connection by celebrating a historically significant mural at a civic scale. The facade, a high-performance curtain wall, replicates 3 panels from a Works Progress Administration mural that depicts scenes from the African diaspora story. Other restored original WPA murals are visible from the street in the hospital’s new public gallery.

Image of a black and white surrealist interactive public mural, with a photomontage of realistic, disparate images. The large, complex assemblage is composed of almost imperceptible fingerpainted black and white dots against a black background. The assemblage is presented in multiple 2-D perspectives, with most objects fluidly morphing into one another. Beginning at the viewer’s right, a giant half of a lion’s head morphs into a hand drill skewering a clock on the left. Slightly below the lower left of the drill is an image of a large gear with human legs, like a diver’s legs, disappearing through the center. A cluster of five smaller human figures rests at the bottom of the gear. Two of the figures are seen from above and stand turned away from the viewer, the image rotated horizontally with their heads at the left. To the right of them, a smaller human figure faces the viewer in a leaping motion, appearing to jump over a larger image of a child hunched over with their face hidden in their crossed arms. Further to the right, the fifth and smallest figure wears a dress and stands with their head down similar to the child. This standing figure rests their head on an image of a streetscape that grows in height to the right, stopping when it hits the handle of the hand drill. A sixth figure stands in front of the streetscape further to the right before it hits the handle of the drill. The figure faces away from the viewer and wears a traditional high-necked, cap sleeved silk Chinese dress. Along the bottom of the streetscape, in the same angled perspective, is an image of a three-arched walking bridge, also growing larger as it continues to the right, then stopping when it reaches the handle of the drill. The handle of the drill continues downward and morphs into an image of an upside down clock tower. Separate from the photomontage, centered at the bottom is a six foot tall, spinnable dial, resembling a compass rose, flanked by two rows on either side each with sixteen small rectangles. The rows of rectangles with the dial at center act as a banner that spans the entire width of the mural at the bottom. Each rectangle contains one of the sixty-four I Ching hexagrams and an associated fable story. At bottom left are two light grey human silhouettes indicating the scale of the mural. The silhouettes overlap a small portion of the banner.

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This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition By the People: Designing a Better America.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/DbAC6/
Accession Number USA.024
Object ID 420777941