The Encampment on Roosevelt Island
October 8, 2007 -
The Encampment was a 100 tent installation which stood for three nights on Manhattan's Roosevelt Island. Each tent was designed by a different contributor under the supervision of artist Thom Sokoloski. This massive installation focused on the dark history of the island, when it was known as Blackwell Island and Welfare Island, detailing its days as lunatic asylum, a prison and a ward for abandoned babies. The Encampment stood at the southern tip of the island, next to the abandoned smallpox hospital and across the East River from the United Nations.
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For more photo essays from New York's half-abandoned islands, please visit Ellis Island: South Side (2007) and Governors Island: Manhattan's Ghost Town (2011). 
what a great selection of images!
ReplyDeleteI'm never sure how I feel about photographs of art as art but that top photo of the tents is beautiful and haunting. I love it.
ReplyDeleteAdd that to my christmas wish list!
I can't believe I didn't know about it in advance. In the future, NOTHING HAPPENS ON ROOSEVELT ISLAND WITHOUT ME!
ReplyDeleteAlso, lovely work, etc.
Damn, I'm having photo envy. Nothing I took came out as well. I particularly like the first two and the next to last.
ReplyDelete