Maya Lin Debuts Installation of Barren Trees in Madison Square Park

What’s Happening: The artist, architect, activist, and former Surface cover star Maya Lin has unveiled a public installation at Madison Square Park. Dubbed Ghost Forest, the work comprises 49 spectral white cedar tree transplants meant to shed light on the eponymous dying event impacting woodlands around the world due to climate change.

The Download: Sourced from New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, the grove of barren cedars presents a stark juxtaposition with the surrounding greenscape, bringing to light issues like species loss, habitat loss, and climate change. In typical Lin fashion, the artwork has a public service element beyond awareness, culminating with a campaign to plant 1,000 new trees and shrubs in public parks throughout New York City this fall. In partnership with the Madison Square Conservancy, a full calendar of programming will take place until the installation comes down, on Nov. 14, including a soundscape produced by Lin and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology of the songs and calls of native animal species once endemic to Manhattan; nature-inspired meditative musical performances, curated by Carnegie Hall; and talks with leading environmentalists, co-produced by Fotografiska New York.

In Their Own Words: “Ghost Forest presents two striking alternatives within the context of Madison Square Park— the ashen trees standing in contrast to the vibrancy of the park,” says Brooke Kamin Rapaport, deputy director and Martin Friedman Chief Curator of Madison Square Park Conservancy. “Maya’s installation underscores the concept of transience and fragility in the natural world and stands as a grave reminder of the consequences of inaction to the climate crisis and poor land-use practices. Within a minimal visual language of austerity and starkness, Maya brings her role as an environmental activist and her vision as an artist to this work.”

Surface Says: Again and again Maya Lin proves the potency of her soft power.