Maya — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:18:15 +0000

I am thrilled to announce my latest collaboration with Lee Ranaldo – Sonic Youth co-founder and guitarist, and the release of his new solo album Between The Times and The Tides (Matador Records), which proudly features Walking Men 99™ on its cover.

This relationship was born earlier this year, when I was humbled to be approached by Lee – a local resident of downtown Manhattan who said to have become a big fan of the project as he passes by it every day. Little did Lee know that his music has been part of my personal soundtrack for many years, and so I was naturally exited to have our paths meet at this crossroads, around Lee’s latest creation.

“In some ways my whole album started with the cover photo, and I kinda built it up from there! A young Canadian photographer took that photo of me in September 2010 on the way to an interview. When I saw the photo I thought it looked so much like a cool album cover, and that thought kind of pushed me to make enough songs to see it come true, which I did. I really liked the image of me walking alongside all these other figures, with all these city names over my head. It felt like the image reflected the traveling minstrel/touring life, moving from city to city around the world. Also, the work is in my neighborhood – which didn’t really strike me at the time, but I like the fact that the cover photo was taken locally, in my ‘hood. I walk past the men all the time now. I’ll send my far-flung friends photos of my in front of their city’s icon… New York is an international city, so I imagine all these figures fit right in on the streets down here.”

Lee Ranaldo, March 2012

Maya — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:44:18 +0000

Men At Work New York was unveiled on 9/11 around the construction site of World Trade Center Tower 4, and is the second installation in New York City from the Walking Men Worldwide Initiative™. The project, which depicts nearly 150 iconic figures from street signs in cities around the world, was installed along 1,000 feet of construction parapets on the south and north sides of Liberty Street, between Greenwich and Church, stretching along the southern edge of the World Trade Center construction site. In its unique location, Men At Work has become a creative tribute to the men and women that have work diligently over the past decade to rebuild the World Trade Center.

The installation offers a new look into the cultural presence of “Working Men”; these signs typically prevent passersby from entering active construction sites, thus becoming symbols of an environment being transformed, and serve as a constant reminder of the never-ending process of urban renewal.

Men At Work is part of the Re:Construction Program by the Alliance for Downtown New York, in collaboration with Silverstein Properties. The project is curated by Ayelet Danielle Aldouby and Elinor Milchan of Artea Projects.

Click here to view more images and a video of Men At Work, NYC.

Maya — Tue, 24 May 2011 06:27:42 +0000

I am excited to announce the launch of Walking Men 99™ – 2nd Edition, which opened yesterday on 99 Church Street in downtown Manhattan. Twenty-five new “walking men” were added to the installation, which has already been on display since January 2010, and will remain on view for another year.

Walking Men 99™ is a site-specific installation that joins together 99 iconic pedestrian traffic lights from cities around the world, a photographic collage stretching along the 500 feet of plywood walls that form a three-street-façade facing Church Street, Park Place and Barclay Street. The project is part of the Re:Construction Program by the Alliance for Downtown New York, and was curated by Ayelet Danielle Aldouby and Elinor Milchan of Artea Projects.

Click to view more images and a video of Walking Men 99™ – 2nd Edition

Maya — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 05:58:46 +0000

עברית

A new project entitled Men At Work debuted in Israel less than a month ago as part of the Bat-Yam International Biennale of Landscape Urbanism. This public art installation would be on display for the next 11 months. Men At Work covers two constructions sites along Yitzhak Sade Street in Bat-Yam, and is open for visitors 24-7.

Click here to view more images, and please follow this link for more information about Men At Work.

Maya — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:26:07 +0000

Walking Men PERMM is currently on display in Russia

Walking Men PERMM opened last week in Perm, Russia! The project, over 400 feet-long, is hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Art PERMM, and will be on display on Lenina and Uralskaya Streets for one-year, through September 2011.

Click here to view more images

Maya — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:06:47 +0000

Walking Men 99™ is currently on display at 99 Church St, NYC 10007

Walking Men 99™ is a site-specific Public Art Installation, surrounding the site of the upcoming Four Seasons Hotel in NYC’s Downtown area, a photographic collage of 99 pedestrian traffic-light icons collected from around the world. The installation is on-going since January 2010.

Read about Walking Men 99™ on the NY Times – ”Bringing Some Whimsy to Construction Sites” by Carol Vogel, Art & Design, 1/15/10

Click here to view more images

Hope to see your there!

Yours, Maya

Maya — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:41:01 +0000

עברית

Maya Barkai, founder of the Walking Men Worldwide initiative™, invites amateur and professional photographers alike to join a collaborative community of artists by taking a picture of the traffic-light Walking Men around the world.

We welcome photographers from different cities to submit their images through this website, and help the community grow by inviting their own friends to join.

Please come back for photo credits, news & updates!