Hyundai Terrace Commission: Marina Zurkow

The River is a Circle is a software-driven animation by Marina Zurkow (b. 1962, New York, NY) that presents a view of the Hudson River as a horizontal split between the world above and below the water. The dynamic composition of the animated elements is driven by algorithmic probability and reflects the current weather and season in New York. The work brings together a mix of river ecology, researched with the help of Hudson River Park Trust, and references to the history of the Meatpacking District, including its time as a trading post for the Lenape people, a hub for meat processing plants, a haven for queer night life, and a site for the sculptural works by Gordon Matta-Clark and David Hammons across from the Whitney. The River is a Circle extends the underwater environment to the terrace with maritime wreckage and oyster reef balls, structures used to provide a habitat for oysters. It speculates on circular systems and a potentially positive cyclical flow back to modest strategies of maintaining ecological networks.

Hyundai Terrace Commission: Marina Zurkow is organized by Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art, with David Lisbon, Curatorial Assistant. 

Hyundai Terrace Commission: Marina Zurkow: The River is a Circle is part of a multiyear partnership with Hyundai Motor in support of an annual site-specific installation on the Whitney Museum's fifth-floor outdoor gallery.