French philosopher Roland Barthes once mused that the Eiffel Tower was far more than a symbol of Paris. He suggested that with its base, which flows into its elegant summit, the Eiffel Tower is the penultimate symbol of human transcendence. When you get to see the Eiffel Tower, you experience something quite unforgettable and the world travels to France to gaze upon this thing of beauty.
But New Yorkers have long believed that we alone are the arbiters of all things special, so it’s no surprise that we now present to the world our own vision of something beautiful and special in the form of a special public art installation cryptically called “The Vessel.” The Vessel is a 150-foot-tall, honeycomb-shaped installation, designed by Thomas Heatherwick and constructed of bronzed steel and concrete, located on 33rd Street at the Hudson Yards. The Vessel cost $150 million to construct and like the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty, it is designed to be climbed by using its 2,500 steps.
A vessel is defined as either a large ship or a hollow container and armed with those two definitions in mind, I made my way into Manhattan this Labor Day weekend to see for myself what all the fuss was about. When you first look at The Vessel, you think of a giant copper tulip that opens to the sky. The Eiffel Tower has suffered criticism since its construction for being both ugly and useless and the Vessel has been criticized by The New York Times as being “a stairway to nowhere.” But like most new and wonderful things, it is at first misunderstood.
The man who funded the Vessel is Stephen Ross, a real estate tycoon who nicknamed the Vessel “the social climber,” and Thomas Heatherwick may have gained inspiration from Indian stepwells which lead to places of worship. Heatherwick suggests that New Yorkers like fitness and walking the 2,500 steps is a great way to exercise. But if we refer back to Roland Barthes, we know that truly great architecture is an attempt to provoke the imagination and the Vessel does evoke the imagination in spades.
The Eiffel Tower offers up an astounding view of Paris itself and converts the city into a thing of nature, almost like a magical forest as seen from above. However, the Vessel is a mere 16 stories high and is not tall enough to look down upon Manhattan. Its magic does not come from the views because even from the top you are still looking up at the skyscrapers all around it.
Ross, the developer of Hudson Yards, suggests that the climb up these 2,500 steps relates to social climbing, which has some humor and some honesty to it. Indeed any structure that requires you to walk up step by step reminds one of climbing out of hell, through purgatory and finally to heaven. Ross may be right to suggest that social climbing is what this structure is all about. America’s central problem, most basic anguish, prime motivation and its greatest strength are that “all men are created equal,” which means that social status is up for grabs.
As I entered the structure and looked up, I could see those at the top of the structure and realized that the point of this piece of architecture was not to rush to the top but to manage to enjoy the walk up.
So I began. To walk up the stairs I could see that the Vessel is very user friendly. One only has to walk up about 36 steps to get to the next landing and rest a while. As you make your way up, you find yourself chatting with the others making the trek upward and there is a feeling of an adventure to it.
There are 154 interconnected staircases which means there are many landings for stopping and resting. You find yourself looking inside the structure as you climb and you begin to feel like you are in a M.C. Escher drawing with all those interlocking staircases.
The stairways are maze-like and Ross remarked that the piece is all about social climbing. Maybe he’s right for what is more confusing than social climbing? Is social climbing about the accumulation of wealth or where you go to college? Is social climbing about living in the right zip code or is it about knowing how to dress? Is it the way you speak or where you vacation which will elevate your social class? If you want to get confused, just try to figure out how to rise in class.
About halfway up I looked at those few who were on the top and thought those guys are not any happier up there than they were when they were down here in the middle of it all. Let me take it slow and easy and enjoy my little walk up. No rush, just enjoy the climb.
The Vessel is an exercise in introspection. You gaze inside yourself as you walk up to the top. No thought of rushing or beating the guy next to you. Just a leisurely walk up to the top with some fresh air and some conversation along the way. This piece of public art, along with the Highline, which runs up to it, will become a key tourist stop and will come to represent a kinder and gentler version of New York.
Congratulations to Thomas Heatherwick and Stephen Ross. The Vessel manages to be both an empty container you are invited to fill with your imaginings or a ship taking you up toward happiness. Either way it works beautifully as a public art object whose stature will grow over time.
