The rose garden of Prospect Park is not the most heavily visited section of Brooklyn's grand outdoor oasis. However, that will change in a few weeks, when 7,000 pinwheels are installed as part of a community art project.
"It's a beautiful, beautiful part of the park," said President of the Prospect Park Alliance Sue Donoghue. "But prior to this has not felt that inviting for folks. So this is a way to bring people into this area and help them to get to know that it's there."
And celebrate the park's 150th birthday. It's called the Connective Project, a 2 1/2 acre installation on view from July 7 through 17, created by Greenwich Village architect Suchi Reddy of Reddymade Design.
There is a reason why pinwheels will be the centerpiece of the massive display.
"We started thinking about objects that generated wonder with people," Reddy said. "And we hit on the pinwheel. Because everyone no matter what their age, six to sixty, the minute they see a pinwheel start moving they get a smile on their face."
And they are fun to make too, as Reddy demonstrated in her studio. They are fashioned from biodegradable paper made from stone dust, attached to a metal stick and designed to withstand the elements.
The pinwheels also will serve as personal statements, designed by artists and by members of the public who can submit designs that could wind up on one of the pinwheels on display.
"You could take a selfie in the park, you could paint a picture, you could draw something, you could just write what Prospect Park means to you or an occasion," said Grainne Coen, co-founder of AREA4.
Submissions will be accepted through June 30 so they can be printed on the pinwheels, but 1,000 will be left blank so visitors can decorate them on the spot and put their own imprints on the installation.
"This is really for the people and by the people," Reddy said. "What people bring to this is super, super, important."
To find out more about the Connective Project or to submit a design, visit the website.