Time Landscape

You are standing before Time Landscape, a living sculpture that defies the typical urban environment of Manhattan. Instead of steel or stone, this artwork is composed entirely of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers designed to recreate the primeval forest that existed here before European colonization. Artist Alan Sonfist began this project in 1965, conducting deep research into the island's original botany and geology to select the exact species that once thrived on this very soil. It stands as a memorial not to a person or a war, but to the natural ecosystem that was systematically erased as the city grew. By planting this forest, Sonfist created a piece of art that functions like a time machine, allowing you to witness the seventeenth-century Manhattan landscape amidst the modern grid. Continue