The New York Earth Room
The New York Earth Room is an art installation in Soho I’ve heard about, but never gone to. Here’s the overview from the website:
An interior earth sculpture.
250 cubic yards of earth (197 cubic meters)
3,600 square feet of floor space (335 square meters)
22 inch depth of material (56 centimeters)
Total weight of sculpture: 280,000 lbs. (127,300 kilos)
So to sum it all up, it’s a giant room of dirt that’s been sitting there since 1980. Intrigued? I know I am, let’s go and get a little dirty. Oh and it says that photography is not allowed, I’m hoping I can persuade them to take at least one shot to document it here at TWM. Otherwise I might have to do some improvising!
Goddamn it's bright out today. I think before we hit the Earth Room, I'm going to look for a pair of sunglasses.
Okay, thought the magic of the internet, you're spared kind of an uneventful subway ride to Prince Street. I like the little figures they've got on the walls in the station here.
I don't know how long they've been here, but they're pretty cool. This one makes me think of that son of a shit eater, Gruber MacDougal.
Memories...holy shitballs, it's bright out here. Let's go find some sunglasses.
There's always tables of things for sale on the sidewalk in this part of town, let's go take a look.
Here's a table of fashion books.
Fab gear...yeah, yeah, yeah.
I took a shot of this table of art and a fat guy leaning against the building started screaming at me saying I couldn't take a picture of it. If he would've been nice, I would've deleted the picture and just moved on, but I told him if his table is on the sidewalk, I have every right to take a picture of it, since it's out in public. He told me it was private property, so I countered that it was private property on a public sidewalk. After a few more minutes of arguing, I just left, some people just don't get it.
Here's a table of tiny, colorful t-shirts.
And bingo bango, a table of sunglasses!
Here's an obligatory sidewalk table mirror shot of me in the shades. They were only five bucks. ZZ Top flashback!
Okay, on to the Earth Room. It's right down the street here on Wooster.
Here's the building, 141 Wooster.
And there's the Earth Room in red. Let's buzz the buzzer and check this out.
Okay, we're inside, here's the foyer of the building.
Right this way...
Through the metal door and...
And up the steep flight of stairs and we'll be there.
Once I was up the stairs, I met Bill Dilworth, who is the keeper of the Dirt Room. He waters and tills the dirt and answers questions that people coming here have about the installation. He's a real nice guy and explained that they don't allow photography because they would rather have people experience it in real life and time. I was going to try to sneak a picture (you can find plenty online) but he was so nice about it, I decided not to break the rules. Bill has worked here for over twenty years now and below is an informative, short film featuring Bill explaining his job and The New York Earth Room.
As you saw in the film, Bill keeps a count of visitors by making a mark of the person. Here's today's page and Bill is pointing to my mark. It does kind of look like me! Bill told me one of the aspects of his job he likes is hearing and noting people's different reactions to the room. Personally, I have to say that standing there and staring at a huge room filled with black dirt kind of made me feel calm. And it was really unusual smelling dirt in New York. I recommend checking this place out if you're in New York or planning a visit. It's free of charge and a totally unique thing to do and experience.
Here's a photo of the Earth Room off of their website, I figured it would be okay to put this up to give you a little feeling of the space. But you really need to experience it in person, this doesn't do it justice.
On my way home I walked past the Morrison Gallery which is a rock 'n' roll gallery filled with interesting photos. I asked if I could take some pictures and was told no. I'm not having much luck on the photo front today!
And now, even the folks on the subway wall have turned their backs on me. Time to call it a day, I guess. See you tomorrow!
The New York Earth Room
141 Wooster Street (between Prince and Houston St.)
Further reading: Lonely Planet, Sense and the City and NY Times.
Cheap Sunglasses, Soho, The New York Earth Room Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 9:06AM
Reader Comments (49)
Are you allowed to urinate on the dirt?
Those are some trippy t-shirts.
Thank you for sharing this, I had no idea this even existed. I feel more enlightened now...it truly is fascinating.
One look up that long stairway and I would've turned around and beat it out of there. Long crinkling stairs always give me the creeps. But am glad you had a good time. 1980, eh? When New York was really New York, gritty, dirty, sleep-deprived. God do I miss it...
Nice post - I've never heard of this either, and like your reaction to the dirt, I feel more relaxed after having read this.
@Reggie: Ha ha ha! Good question and one I forgot to ask! I need to take Freddy Rumsen there and "test the waters," so to speak!
@Tiki Bar Susie: It's something to see, a really unique thing to experience in the city.
@Mykola Mick Dementiuk: I hear you about the stairs, I'm no fan either! But I'm glad I took the trek, it was a cool thing to see and nice to chat with Bill about it.
@Spike: Thanks, you should check it out, it's free and really a different thing to do and see in the city. And it is relaxing, I felt like I had taken a valium and you can't beat that!
Extremely strange.
Afterwards, I would have needed many beers at Fanelli’s .......
Ok Marty, Do you just get to look at the dirt or can you walk on top of the dirt. Can I bring my cat? I'm gonna go & throw some seeds into the dirt. What would Bill Dilworth do if he came to work one day & saw Radishes growing?
DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE...and he's shacking up with some of his girlfriends in the New York Earth Room...mouahahahahahaaaaaa.
@GENE: Agreed! I'd have gone to Fanelli's afterwards, but I had things to do, next time for sure!
@Danny the Freelancer: Nope, you can't walk on it, only look at it. The radish idea is too funny! I read online that a mushroom grew in there once and Bill took it home and ate it! No word whether it was a magical mushroom or not!
@Jaws the Cabbie: Aaaahhhhh! P.S. Whatever it is you're drinking/smoking/taking...I want some!
Another example of Photojournalism at its finest! Thank you Marty.
Artist/Musician/Composer Walter De Maria is the Master of minimalism. At the opening of The Earth Room, Walter gave out little sealed clear plastic bags, with the following printed on them:
Walter De Maria
The Earth Room
Heiner Friedrich Gallery
I still have mine somewhere
My favorite work of Walter De Maria is: The Lightning Field
You can check it out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo1ETo2PV0o
Also Walter De Maria was the drummer for The Primitives, who would become: The Velvet Underground.
“Goddamn it's bright out today. I think before we hit the Earth Room, I'm going to look for a pair of sunglasses.”
Z.Z. Top was the first thing that came to my mind, but as I scrolled down, you beat me to the punch.
Hey Marty you should check out Walter De Maria's other Art called "The Broken Kilometer" at 393 Broadway.
Wow. Visited the Earth Room years and years ago, and I still vividly can recall the scent of the dirt and the weirdly calming effect it had on me. It seems bizarre at first, but when you actually see and smell it, it's pretty cool, in the middle of all that concrete and traffic.
Note to self: Show up with a Dyson vacuum. See Bill freak out!
@Martin: Too cool that you were at the opening of this! I love how your stories coincide with the posts! If you find the plastic bag and could send a photo sometime that would be great! Thanks for the "Lightning Field" link, it's great!
@RayRay: I will definitely check it out, thanks for the heads up!
@Katrink: Sounds like you had the same experience I did. Like you said, it was so nice to walk away from the traffic and hustle and bustle and smell and stare at a huge amount of dirt.
@Al Czervik: Ha ha ha! Now THAT I'd take a photo of! Great idea!
Personally, I would have checked Dilworth's neck for little red holes before I even went NEAR that place...
From the John Ford's,"The Grapes of Wrath":
Grandpa Joad: It's my dirt! Eh-heh! No good, but it's - it's mine, all mine.
Wherever they's a room full of dirt, I’ll be there. Whenever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Whenever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there... I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an'-I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build-why, I'll be there.
Ooo, I love the Earth Room! You're right, it's very calming, especially when you're alone and you can just close your eyes an inhale...
I could have sworn the dirt was older. For some reason, I thought it dated back to 1969. Maybe that's the mushrooms talking. I can't believe that same guy still works there! If he's not gone insane by now, then he must be perfect for the job of Dirt Proctor.
@Jaws: Ha ha ha! Hmmm...he does have a beard...you may have a point there! I'll try and check next time!
@Duncester: Pefect line to accompany this dirty post!
@Tom Joad: That is comforting to know! Say hi to the Boss for me!
@Goggla: It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. Yeah, Bill told me he's been minding the dirt for 23 years now! I love the "Dirt Proctor title!
@ Jaws the Cabbie & Jaws the Cabbie:
My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side
RenfieldDilworth, time to till the dirt!No, no, master. I wasn't going to say anything, I told them nothing. I am loyal to you master
That's awesome.. I never even heard of that place!
totally cool place.. need to go..
and my sons imaginary friend is named wooster..
coincidence?
@Count Alucard:
Now you always say
That you want to be free
But you'll come running back
@Mick Jagger: Hey asshole, you didn't write that, I did
@ Walter De Maria, Mick Fuckin’ Jagger and especially YOU: Count Alucard
You guys SUCK!!!
AND I ain’t tawkin’ bout my ding-dong, either!
very cool post! what an unusual place, i really enjoy tripping out with you marty!
@Gidget: It is cool there and fun to talk to Bill. Too funny about your sons imaginary friend named Wooster!
@Bobby D: Thanks, great to have you along for the ride!
Where can a dirt poor sod do before eating his pound of dirt before dying? Why go to a filthy rich neighborhood to view the dirt room. An unsoiled enclosure of soil separate from the filth and dirt of the grimy street.
Or something.
Hey, look what I found -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krF9DEH327w
@csp: Errr...okay, I'll go with "Something," a great Beatles song!
@Goggla: Cool, thanks for the linkage!
Just had another dirt film related brain fart.
Love and Death piece of land. Around .34 in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x56MtVXDbJ8
My students would love the Earth Room. In fact, after a damp recess, my room becomes an earth room.
@Duncester: Great earth clip, thanks for the linkage!
@Terry: Ha ha ha! You should bring your room out here, and set up your own art installation, complete with students!
Just for shits and giggles; you could go back to the buzzer, buzz every directory listing but the earth room, and you guessed it, ask if they are the earth room.
@csp: Or I could ask them if they know where I could find the Moon Room!
I'm so dense I looked up the Moon Room, (It's a club in the meat-packing district) when it hit me. One of these days Alice.
@csp: I just looked at the Moon Room's facecrack page, it's a "super exclusive club," I think I'll stick with the Earth Room!
Jimmy Hoffa!
@"Boris:" Ha ha ha! Perfect place for him! Good one, Daddio!
Wow! That's a lot of dirt! I was expecting, like, a mound in the middle of the floor or something. But that's a roomful of dirt! So my questions are: 1) how does the floor support such a massive amount of weight; 2) how does Bill manage to keep it all a uniform color; and 3) when he waters and tills the dirt (since I imagine he has to stand on top of it to do so), does he back out of the room like you would with a vaccuum cleaner and carpet?
@Biff: It's really something to see and those are all great questions! We'll have to add that to your list, which is about in the thousands by now, right? You're going to have to take a month off for your next visit!
True dat, Marty! I swear, if I don't win the lottery soon, I'm gonna sell the house. I miss New York! And you, of course.
@Biff: Miss you too! I just bought two Mega-Millions tickets, if it hits, we'll be hitting a lot of the bars on the list this weekend!
Haven't seen a cypher combination lock on a door in ages. They need to upgrade their security system.
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