On Tuesday, I had a special visit from an 8-foot tall, cadmium red Empire State Building. My friend, Tony Lordi, visited my new studio and mentioned he was driving "The Empire, In Red" around Newton taking pictures so I invited him to bring it into TraillWorks for a photo op. He was thrilled; brought it inside in partitions, set it up in a matter of minutes and started shooting. Ringo happened to be there and found his way in a few pics.
The 8-foot tall, wooden construction painted in bright cadmium red is the focus of a new project he's embarking on. Tony has been working with The Empire State building since the late 80s when he had a wildly successful exhibit at Jack Gallery in NYC which was accompanied by major media attention and international opportunities.
He says of the project, "My intention is to install and photograph the piece in a series of settings, it's iconic image presented within various environments. The only common denominator among the otherwise disparate images will be The Empire, In Red. In essence, the building will serve to unite the otherwise unconnected environments as a sort of ambassador of cultural experience.
The first phase of the project will be a group show of the resulting photography. Ultimately, I plan to publish a limited edition book documenting the project and show. [One possible image is] The stage door of 'Jersey Boys'. Frankie Valli gazes up at The Empire, in Red with folded arms. The caption will read 'You’re just to good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you!'"
"The Empire, In Red" has left TraillWorks, but if you're interested in a photo op with Tony's sculpture, contact him at tonylordi@earthlink.net.
