The Good Life Exhibition
“The Good Life: New Public Spaces for Recreation” was an exhibition staged by the Van Alen Institute in an outbuilding at the end of Pier 40 in the summer of 2006. It featured 70 urban parks, interventions, and buildings from around the world, grouped by five unifying themes: The Fun City, The Healthy City, The Cultured City, The Connected City, and The 24-Hour City.
The gesture of “the wiggle” became the organizing strategy for the exhibition space. A single 300-foot-long band of hanging fabric, alternating between bright yellow canvas and printed vinyl panels, wound through the space, doubling in on itself to create “rooms” for the different thematic presentations.
In addition, WORKac’s design made a public space out of the exhibition itself, with lounge seating, a snack bar, and programmed events attracting foot traffic and activity. A 10-foot diameter yellow balloon flying above the pier advertised the exhibition as a new destination within the city.
