The Vessel: Thomas Heatherwick's oversized public art structure

It's the centerpiece of the largest and most expensive private real estate development in American history: "Vessel," a 150-foot-tall sculpture in the middle of Hudson Yards, a new 16-building complex on the West Side of Manhattan. The honeycombed flight of fancy, made of 154 flights of stairs, was conceived by 49- year-old British designer Thomas Heatherwick, who has put his stamp on some of the most provocative buildings and public projects around the world. Anthony Mason reports.
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[@fulvioprodan739]

It looks like the representation of our society: A lot of stairs that rise upwards ... that don't lead anywhere!

[@julianmx13]

Fulvio Prodan well said Fabio

[@joshuab2437]

Agreed!

[@metahduh4003]

Great view from up there thou:))

[@clubpenguin1229]

You thought this was really deep, didn’t you?

[@fulvioprodan739]

@Randall George Excellent observation!

[@DJTerrisMist]

It would be great to see a huge choir singing in this thing.

[@levarmitchell3962]

Brilliant idea actually

[@bludaisiestarlite7626]

Eric Herlihy , Yeah a song to satan

[@DJTerrisMist]

@@bludaisiestarlite7626 Lol. sure. But it has to be a good performance. Otherwise, I'm out.

[@equim7363]

Thehe would be no echo inside, so meh..

[@rhondacampbell2592]

Great idea!

[@michaelhurley3171]

Here's an idea long in the making: rebuild Penn station. If they can spend billions on a giant pine cone and steel and glass boxes, why not rebuild an icon.

[@ittotaq]

Its private.

[@liduck52]

FYI Penn Station will be undergoing a $600 million makeover which will be completed in early 2022. The LIRR is paying $170 million, New York State will fund the rest.

[@michaelhurley3171]

@@liduck52 thanks for the update .

[@SoloTravelerOffTheBeatenPath]

The traitorous politicians in charge of New York would rather spend millions on welfare for illegals than rebuilding the infrastructure.

[@michaelhurley3171]

@Richard Head yes I've been there and as nice as it is it pales in comparison to the original.

[@darealberrygarcia]

Beautiful. I love NYC

[@saki3688]

5:12 exactly stairs to nowhere

[@TNMUSlC]

He made it a cool way for people to exercise without knowing it. Since America is facing an obesity dilemma ..Mind Blown*

[@JeevesReturns]

The fat people wont go near it.

[@rodrickdubose659]

@@JeevesReturns put a free Krispy Kreme kiosk at the top, and I'll beg to differ.

[@rr7firefly]

Stair Master on steroids.

[@JesusRuiz-nz5qv]

5:00 wow those words give the chills

[@robotx9285]

Let's be real, he did predicted it, he just doesn't want to be connected.

[@PatrickPierceBateman]

I was about to buy an apartment at Hudson Yards until I realized it was built above a dirty train station with this giant pinecone tourist trap.

[@elenagustafsson720]

Patrick Bateman good you did not buy it

[@sclogse1]

Every time I was lucky enough to watch CBS Sunday Morning ( It's on early!) I always thought it was the best thing. Now, finally I can subscribe and go back to see these. Bravo.

[@play.dvdagreat]

" *Your Heart For Takeaway.......Yeah Yeah Yeah* " brought me here

[@Hope-InTheLord]

Just visited. Amazing structure!

[@princeafriqa6917]

"What happens now has nothing to do with me". Humble Thomas!

[@tobyabbott4849]

We Americans should feel such gratitude for such art put in our very own Big Apple. Thank you Heatherwick and everyone else involved in this beauty. I can't wait to see what this genius does at Pier 55.

[@damianrhea8875]

@Richard Head Indeed. Not only out of ideas, but also out of class -- one wonders where Frank Gehry, another Jew, is at Hudson Yard?

[@beth-rg8bm]

It's garbage!

[@PhoebePhiloPhiliac]

@Tony Abbott people can be so ungrateful about artistic masterpieces in their own backyard! Pearls before swine really

[@ssdkilla]

It's a death trap

[@eliascruz83]

"We can't predict how people are gonna use it" 5:00... Well, they're using to end their lifes.

[@admiralbeluga6438]

GOOD IDEA,I WILL CALL MY FRIEND TO COME THERE

[@dorinc6033]

Unfortunately people will always find places to jump. The solution is not to stop building these structures, but to build a society who cares about the individual.

[@rr7firefly]

@@dorinc6033 Please, that is such a glib thing to write. You have no understanding of the internal psychology of human beings. When you place them somewhere with so much spatial disorientation they may act on an irrational impulse. It is not because of some social persecution.

[@skipads5141]

I predicted that instantly when seeing open stairways going 150 feet up.

[@GKP999]

This flashy and crass sculpture and its location is so appropriate for the new Gilded Age. As you ascend the sculpture, the volume for greed and hoarding of wealth bulges, only upon reaching the pinnacle, you realize it really goes nowhere. Is there all there is? You ask, then the descend begins, perhaps only when you reach the ground you truly come down and find that 'tis a gift to be simple. Claimed to a public sculpture, it is really not entirely democratic. Like its bling symbolism, its allusion is only truly accessible to the mobile. Sure there is a lift, but interaction with the sculpture is only limited to persons who are able to climb stairs, just like any other illusions.

[@kayem3824]

Its a building speculator's trick. It has to be seen in the developer's profit issues with the area. Its publicity to help sell better. Thee is no natural poetry to it.

[@samssalman]

Ghee Phua is you went beyond your own agenda or bias, you might have wondered what the vertical side rails were and whether there was a lift for disabled people

[@PhoebePhiloPhiliac]

It's a meticulously designed piece by a renown starchitect and it is photographed by people around the world on social media who are excited to interact with it in person. Many people would disagree with your criticism of it.

[@redneckgoatfarmer]

It’s private money that doesn’t belong to you so it doesn’t matter what you think

[@AgentAO7]

Very well said. On the otherhand, I don’t see negativity on what you said but just pure reality of what’s really happening not just in NY but the rest of the world.

[@kelvinguzman9604]

RIP THE VESSEL

[@flamingcafefeen]

Amazing...

[@kingkenny334]

Went on it yesterday. It’s different but I can’t say I was impressed. For £150m I think it’s a real waste of money.

[@freedomjustice7222]

150 million could have been used for lower income apartments to house the working class that make the city run like a well oiled machine . Billionaires just stamping there success so other billionaires could have something to talk about.

[@Arya-pd6qh]

Wow .. Sooo nice

[@chandhand6539]

This is a weird but beautiful piece of architecture, I live in europe and see so much of astonishingly beautiful buildings here but the modern art is something different in a good way!

[@rr7firefly]

This is not architecture, just a lot of stairs that are interconnected. Some people may find it intriguing but calling it architecture is a bit generous.

[@chandhand6539]

@@rr7firefly calling it just stairs is kinda rude. It has a design to it, not just stairs... “architecture by definition is a carefully designed structure” . So this is indeed an architecture:

[@rr7firefly]

@@chandhand6539 I am a professor of architecture with degrees from two major universities. I also hold several fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts in the Design Art category. I have also written two newspaper columns on design. This stair sculpture is categorically NOT architecture. Engineering projects are also "carefully designed structures" but they are NOT architecture.

[@danger26102]

NYers called it a honeycomb design..some called it a GIANT shawarma lol

[@gumalaiskandar4640]

Coming here coz illenium n the chainsmoker video. Amazing

[@Matt00740]

Pretty amazing peace of architecture

[@joeroto9885]

needs major safety redesign

[@AmbientWalking]

Looking forward to going up this sculpture!

[@theasshole7383]

Not sure if you know but you have to go online to reserve a ticket. Its fully booked but by 8am it said to go online and wait which you will be waiing for someone to leave the vessel snd the ticket will open up. Just a heads up.

[@abhijeetmanjrekar4435]

My Dream is to visit here once before i die..

[@andybaldman]

That’s what all the people said right before they jumped off of it.

[@PhoebePhiloPhiliac]

The intricate lace like pattern of the stair cases is mesmerizing. It generates a lot of excitement on social media around the world and one day I will visit it too!

[@rr7firefly]

It will be permanently closed. Four suicides thus far.

[@soupnfresh]

Last sentences of the architect are very foretelling. Him saying he can't predict how people are going to use it or saying "what happens now [has] nothing to do with me." Very foretelling given the suicides that have begun at that location. It's like he's washing his hands of any good or bad thing that may occur.

[@andybaldman]

He knew.

[@EPmessi9800]

Looks cool!

[@hrithikthor8592]

Who is here after the *Chainsmokers video - Takeaway??*

[@melvinjordan8926]

It looks like something aliens built.

[@johnnyalexandermantillarod3203]

Why was big bird at the opening ceremony? 😂😂😂🗽

[@marsyaasya9208]

I love ur design. Gotta hv some of those chairs.

[@louisshaw4833]

@Hello Marsya Asya, How are you doing?

[@Maxime_K-G]

It's like the bigger, urban version of the Vlooybergtoren. I hope I will be able to climb it when I visit New York City in the future!

[@micholli]

It is closed, 4 people, including a 14 year old boy, have jumped to their deaths.

[@Maxime_K-G]

@@micholli It can't remain closed forever.

[@AREKO_ESTUDIO]

"we cant predict how people are going to use it" so truee

[@michaelfairbanks2113]

New York City is now the home of “the big pinecone”.

[@bludaisiestarlite7626]

Michael Fairbanks , the devil's ribcage

[@username6135]

Roach eggsack

[@SquidCena]

Don't you mean a epic futuristic beehive?

[@traceford4904]

Scrap metal from Megatron.

[@rr7firefly]

There is a renewed movement to dismantle and remove this monstrosity, after the latest suicide: a young boy who jumped while his parents watched in horror.

[@yilmanbabilonia]

Riding my bicycle downtown everyday I looked at it go up and I thought that looks interesting. Then i thought it'd be a nice park like the Highline. I was wrong. Eventually, I'll go to see it.

[@amzanz9145]

I can see someone jumping from one of those stairs. Kinda scary.

[@rr7firefly]

Four people so far have committed suicide. There is a movement to dismantle and remove this monstrosity.

[@jestfuldemigod]

It would be sooooo cool it the base of it was much wider, then bands could play at the base and the people could go view the concert all over the Vessel!

[@safiyaxoxfashion5000]

God bless this man and his Utopic designs

[@Wazrienah]

I'm here after watching chainsmokers video

[@dracoola55]

SAME !

[@naveenkmr1000]

SAME !!!!

[@Zayn_Priyadarshin]

Same bro🥶

[@transitdude3352]

Wait for one of those hundred degree New York City days and the heat bounces off that thing. This thing looks like those stairs bender the robot fell down and up on futurama. This thing is gonna be a suiciders paradise.

[@liduck52]

One of those hundred degree days? It's NY not Arizona. It hasn't hit 100 degrees here since 2012.

[@transitdude3352]

@@liduck52 maybe not, but with all the concrete and glass buildings there’s days when it does feel over a hundred degrees because of the heat bouncing off the glass, concrete and metal buildings.

[@ruzzelladrian907]

Free places to visit. I just immigrated from the Philippines to New York City, and I only need $5.50 on my MetroCard to visit Hudson Yard.

[@royalnephew]

Glad i created the idea of the vessel! PCB

[@7.5Mviews]

I think it’s beautiful and unique. It’s art, it’s not supposed to be functional.

[@agneslaufer9579]

Penrose stairs nightmare !!!

[@antoniomartinezprny]

Looking forward to it's reopening to the public.

[@hd-xc2lz]

Digital architectural thinking realized. Will be interesting to see how the structure ages, both physically and culturally. And as someone remarked below, this will not be a Summer attraction once the novelty fades, its use pattern and attractiveness to vendors below seems fraught with uncertainty.

[@scoutandscooter]

I really have no reason to get to that part of town. This a a bunch of glass boxes sitting on top of a rail yard. I wasn't a huge fan of the NY Jets proposal back in the early 2000s, but now I think I was totally wrong.

[@rodrickdubose659]

Is that vstar 1300 you're straddling?

[@jonlukas_co]

it’s July of 2022 & it’s still not open to public like it used to be because people are killing themselves, jumping off from the top. 😢

[@FabFay62]

That's incredible! Congratulations to Thomas Heatherwick!

[@AgentAO7]

This is basically how Gustav Eiffel have felt when he saw the Eiffel Tower coming to life..

[@chiparoo222]

And to think …. there could have been some spectacularly designed city park at a fraction of the cost of this - 'Wierdorama !'

[@damianrhea8875]

And employing locally-grown AMERICAN TALENTS...

[@BradThePitts]

There is plenty of beautiful, lush, public gathering area in the Hudson Yards.

[@samssalman]

Damian Rhea yes, every country should only use their own artists. Stalin would be so proud

[@abiromu]

This is a purely private development. So no one but the owner gets a say in this.

[@BradThePitts]

@@abiromu I've watched this project literally since groundbreaking. The developers took great care to provide beautiful, green, and inclusive public space. Worst case, it used to be an otherwise useless train yard, and I can't believe anyone would complain about anything!

[@josephinebennington7247]

Yes I like its concept and appearance as artistic architecture. But tell the commissioning billionaire it isn’t ICONIC yet. It’s unique, never meant to be other than that. Never meant to be a standard. I’m absolutely fed up with the overuse of iconic, absolutely. There are other words available, many other words, similes, metaphors, adjectives. A curse on ICONIC. Abso-bloody-lutely.

[@hd-xc2lz]

So agree. People today use "iconic" for buildings as they would "brick" or "small."

[@detailsmove]

Josephine Bennington facts

[@hd-xc2lz]

And if you've seen the Vessel in person, it's anything but iconic.

[@PhoebePhiloPhiliac]

But it is blowing up social media and a lot of people are talking about it. So maybe it is iconic already ..

[@hd-xc2lz]

@@PhoebePhiloPhiliac Seems to me iconic should be reserved for buildings/structures that have long lasting importance, over decades. Popular as a topic on social media, within months of opening, is kinda the opposite of "iconic."

[@remtromol]

it's just tower with extra steps

[@Rean-the-Bean]

Drive by everyday going to try to didn't this Saturday. Fingers crossed suppose to rain.

[@deanadiedrich9304]

IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!!! BUT....I'm not going up there!

[@bludaisiestarlite7626]

deana diedrich , It's ugly af

[@willasproth]

Bludaisie Starlite everyone has there own opinions

[@PhoebePhiloPhiliac]

Deana I am with you the copper and intricate staircase pattern is fascinating. Haters gonna hate to be honest and people can be so unappreciative of meticulous architectural gems like this one

[@Chrisoula17]

I’ve been there!!

[@attenzioneallontanarsidall7940]

Italian pride!

[@ThePhanable]

This costs $200,000,000.00 to build. At 8 stories and I'm guessing 2,000 square feet per floor that is 16,000 square feet totalling $12,500.00 per square foot for a staircase to nowhere with no running water, no plumbing, no doors, no roof and no window. For comparison a nice house costs $500 per square foot to build.

[@rrrobeltnest7295]

The perfect magnet for distraught people

[@chssechen7597]

There is always money for fancy sculpture,building and etc but no or not enough money for actual things that society need affordable housing, healthcare, education,homelessness,hunger and etc. Sigh..

[@intersezioni]

I remind you that the pieces of this magnificent structure were built in Italy

[@lonewolf124]

We need this kind of artechture everywhere because nowadays every buildings in city looks same and boring makes people depressed to seeing everyday.

[@batchint]

if you think weird try seeing the escheresque themic possibly a bogart do dar there too

[@TroyGoodwin]

Also known as The Waste Basket.

[@hd-xc2lz]

A porous one, but the term works. Reminded me of an executive's desk toy, slick tchotchke.

[@rutherford5247]

😡😡😡😡😡

[@anastasia10017]

I'm a new yorker. the first time I saw the vessel, one of the first things I thought was this is going to attract suicidal people. the walls are very low and there is nothing stopping anyone climbing over the wall. a child could do it. So far, there have been 3 suicides. I'm surprised there have not been more. This vessel thing is useless. it does nothing. it does not inspire interconnectedness or sociability. there is not even any seating for the elderly or the tired. The panoramic views are not great at all. All there is to do is climb up and down stairs. it is just an ugly, useless metal thing they stuck on the west side. The Millions and millions of dollars they wasted on this thing is beyond mind boggling.

[@ssdkilla]

Now they need to tear it down...

[@danielso9485]

i went there last week lol

[@jjjj5452]

a vertical park? more like just stairs

[@dominicgiorgi3665]

They need to name it The Hive

[@johncote2776]

An EYESORE!!

[@garnerfrick471]

A great set piece for a Bond movie I think.

[@user-ez2qd3gu5v]

This is why Alway love british people they are genius in all areas.

[@corbinhauser7758]

its a bunch of stairs leading to nowhere. its never been done because no one has yet been that stupid.

[@rhondacampbell2592]

Bucket listed!

[@joseanthompson9069]

I CAME HER FROM A MUSIC VIDEO.

[@bispo5671]

Whats is the name of the music vídeo????????

[@matwilliams2031]

"Mr Heatherwick is an architectural genius."

[@rr7firefly]

Those words are meaningless. Architects design with an understanding of human psychological needs. This structure provides no real sense of spatial security, instead creating an experience that would be so overwhelmingly disorienting that even a normal person would act on an irrational impulse: "Jump into the void!"

[@dorinc6033]

Stairway to Heaven, in more than one way... A great way to exercise in open air.

[@andybaldman]

That’s what the people who jumped off of it said.

[@acarbonunit]

Fabulous. Have been there twice. Hetherwick's promise fulfilled. The art of creative placemaking. Amazing how few comments discuss the context or why they decided on this location. This will be an overnight success at the north end of the hi line. Worth every single cent! The base level of commentary in this thread is appalling.

[@willasproth]

Richard Head it’s art, I like it.

[@willasproth]

Richard Head maybe there would be so many suicidal folks if you weren’t so mean.

[@MattSezer]

It's ok, but honestly if it was just a 150 foot tall open air observation deck, it would be a pretty similar experience for me and it wouldn't cost hundreds of millions of dollars; I literally have no clue how it cost so much. Also, it's not a public space. You need a timed ticket and there's tons of security. You can't relax like you could in a public park with all of that.

[@corbinhauser7758]

i was 100% sure the guy was bullshitting when he said its 3 dimensional public space... its a bunch of stairs... you cant even stop walking because people are behind you

[@contact1araya]

it should have been able to contract and expand like a Hoberman Sphere, or have sensors on the steps that help compose an ever changing melody....or something....I mean It just sits there

[@qll8840]

I hope the color doesn’t rust or fade like Barclay theatre in Brooklyn

[@cyrilgomez]

oh this is the building in "TAKEAWAY " !! this is a real thing ?!?! damn i thought it was a set !

[@xidiamond6851]

What is Takeaway

[@surmaster4618]

Anyone else here from The Chainsmokers & Illenium's new music video, Takeaway ft Lennon Stella?‼️

[@jcuevasqu55]

This reminds me of that episode of The Simpsons (the construction of the Monorail) in which at the end they resume all the pointless constructions ever made in the city and there's an escalator which goes nowhere. Lol 😂😂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXqcZqWagM2KepI

[@alexanderschaefer2898]

the trash basket

[@tuts351]

5$ a person would have made the thing a little less crowded

[@theasshole7383]

One thing they forget to tell people is, they need to reserve a ticket online. The ticket is free. When one person leaves The Vessel then that ticket is open for the next person.

[@richardturner6981]

Can you imagine someone with Emphysema walking all the way to the top? Call the Paramedics! How about those spinning chairs? I got a better idea, a spinning toilet. Heh heh heh!!!!

[@IblewuponyourfaceIII]

“Art” lmaooo

[@willasproth]

Art is subjective

[@rutherford5247]

😡😡😡😡😡

[@rr7firefly]

You know it. It's the prosaic idea of stair-climbing that has been overblown to the point of being ridiculous.

[@chrisrokbarber9358]

I'm I the only one that thinks....it looks like a hive........unbrellas hive🤔

[@gsolee]

The hate made the Eiffel Tower what it is today... Similarly the Kardashians/ Jenners...

[@andrenewcomb3708]

Saw the handicapped access this time.

[@sunshinelawfan7693]

Andre Newcomb - that chute-looking thing? Is that an elevator? I wondered about ADA...

[@Iam-me]

Singapore beats it ! For sure...look at marina swim pool on top buildings and chang gi airport terminal one. More amazing that this...

[@Alesscamera]

How did it take 6 years to be finished? China made the longest Sea bridge in the world in the same time haha

[@user-ps2kt7pu2p]

The construction took 8 months actually. You gotta put planning in the mix.

[@alexanderswander8176]

I always wondered what that building was everytime I was on the west side.

[@xlavahott4547]

Heatherwick literally says he can't predict how people can use it. (Suicides?) Another example of bad design by people focused on style over how humans will interact with the object. How many times have you dropped your cool-looking yet slippery iPhone?

[@phillipswatson3452]

😎LOOK LIKE A ROLLER COASTER!!

[@bradwatson7324]

Two words: beanbag wars!

[@wjun0131]

People are gonna jump off the stairs.

[@JeevesReturns]

Hopefully the architect

[@ArraialHD]

State of the Art