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A Vertical Swimming Pool in Rockefeller Center | Insta of the Week

'Prada Marfa' creators Elmgreen and Dragset defy gravity in their public sculpture, 'Van Gogh's Ear.'

A photo posted by Rockefeller Center (@rockcenternyc) on Mar 10, 2016 at 5:47pm PST

Putting things where they don't belong seems to be the mission of Scandavian duo Elmgreen and Dragset, best known for their hermetically sealed replica Prada outlet store in the middle of the Texas' Marfa desert, Prada Marfa (2005). Thus, the news that the Public Art Fund has commissioned them to install a swimming pool in the middle of Rockefeller Center—just in time for bikini season!—sounds counterintuitive. However, when you take a look at the concept photo above and realize it's sideways, it begins to feel much more Elmgreen and Dragset.

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The new sculpture is called Van Gogh's Ear, referencing on the ear-shaped design of many 1950s swimming pools. The work is their latest effort to push the boundaries of Marcel Duchamp's Readymades, stripping the pool of its use as an escape from the upcoming summer heat. Earlier this year they conducted a fake art fair, poking fun at art market bacchanals like The Armory Show in which buyers and sellers dominate the art market.

Van Gogh’s Ear will debut in the Channel Gardens on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. Bring board shorts and selfie sticks as needed.

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