Episode #173: Filmed in late 2012 and early 2013, Nigeria-based artist El Anatsui discusses his large-scale sculpture "Broken Bridge II" (2012) and the importance of its location on an east-facing wall above the High Line, a relatively new park located on once-abandoned, elevated railroad tracks on Manhattan's west side. By incorporating mirrors into "Broken Bridge II," a new material for the artist, Anatsui is able to reflect and point out characteristics of New York that he considers iconic. High Line Art's project manager Jordan Benke and curator Cecilia Alemani discuss the installation process and how this work differs from Anatsui's smaller sculptures. "Broken Bridge II" will be on view through September 2013.

Working with wood, clay, metal, and the discarded metal caps of liquor bottles, El Anatsui breaks with sculpture's traditional adherence to forms of fixed shape while visually referencing the history of abstraction in African and European art. Anatsui's works trace a broader story of colonial and postcolonial economic and cultural exchange, told in the history of cast-off materials, while exploring ideas about the everyday function of objects and the role of language in deciphering visual symbols.

Learn more about the artist at:
http://www.art21.org/artists/el-anatsui

CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Ian Forster. Camera: Ian Forster. Sound: Stephanie Andreou. Editor: Morgan Riles. Music: Henry Terepka. Time-lapse Courtesy: High Line Art. Artwork Courtesy: El Anatsui, High Line Art & Jack Shainman Gallery. Special Thanks: Friends of the High Line. Theme Music: Peter Foley.