The Robo-Cube

Intel continues to come in that the Astor Place Cube will be lit up and spinning when it returns to the East Village.


New Astor Place: Now with patio umbrellas

Last month I reported on the semi-privatized neoliberal farce that Astor Place has become and is yet becoming.

Through a regular reader, I shared the shocking and disturbing news that the Alamo sculpture, otherwise known as the Cube, would be returning under electric power--lit up and mechanically spinning.

Soon after, William Kelley, executive director of the BID Village Alliance, wrote to EV Grieve to deny the rumor about the Cube. He said, "The Alamo sculpture should return in August, and it is exactly the same as it was before. There are no lights and the spinning mechanism is human powered, just like before."

Since then, I've continued to hear the exact opposite. Another reader spoke to a worker on the scene, who told him the Cube would indeed be lit up and mechanized.

I spoke to a worker who told me the Cube "is going be lit up. We're going to power it up. It's going to spin. It's going to have lights. The whole thing."

So, come on, Mr. Kelley, we can't wait. Are we getting our old Cube back--or a lobotomized Stepford wife robo-Cube? Oh, and what about that little detail my original reader shared, about how "The Village Alliance and some type of committee at the Sculpture for Living building decide" what happens in our public square and who can make money on it?


Previously:
Astor Place Farce
Astor Place Redesign
Battle for Astor Place