Prayer Booths as Public Art

Public art is everywhere these days, and Dylan Mortimer’s work may be the most provocative piece in the city at the moment. The NY Post reports that his prayer booths are located by the Roosevelt Island tram in Manhattan, and are meant to "get people talking." The Parks Dept. describes the interactive Public Prayer Booth as a synthesis of a telephone booth and a prayer station, where "the viewer can flip down a kneeler and engage in prayer." The artist, who is from Kansas City and a graduate of SVA, says, “My goal is to spark dialogue about a topic often avoided, and often treated cynically by the contemporary art world."

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on November 11, 2008 5:21 PM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Oops, I think I accidentally relieved myself at one of these silly booths. Please forgive me.

g0thamg1rl

Ummm... places for prayers have already been created... they are called churches. I'm with "other islander" - more bathrooms would be better!

WorksInDUMBO

Or! Confession Booths. Where you pick up a phone and there's a priest standing by to take your confession.

oh wait, hang on a second, I think we just sparked a dialogue... GODDAMMIT!

Felix Hoenikker

Here's an idea:

Program the thing with voice recognition and have it shock the user if it hears the word 'lottery' or the name of any sports team.

And before I forget,

/random bash of unemployed hipster artiste

Jerky

>Should have made them Glory Hole Booths.

That only come in a version for Catholic Priests.

ides_of_march

These prayer booths better be facing east or muslims might cry discrimination.

ides_of_march

Why can't artists just be honest?

This guy made these because he craves attention and not "to spark dialogue" as if it never occured to people in this city to discuss certain topics until this nitwit from Kansas rode into town.

matty

I like this.

And it definitely promotes constructive discussion.

More so than, like, Marys made out of elephant dung.

Joclyn

Is this Catholic-specific? What if I want to go in there and pray but not kneel?

Kevin Walsh

Some people are just using them as the real thing. Let 'em pray. We need it.

www.forgotten-ny.com

HUGO_MEGO

What's a glory hole booth?

other_islander

i'd have been happier with more public restrooms...

Atomische

We really could use some of these booths too.

Rocknrope

Should have made them Glory Hole Booths.

chuzzlewit

spark dialogue? what the fuck does that even mean?

that doesn't even mean anything. that's just word salad.

babyhitler

this shit was done already in a little movie called THX 1138. Passe. I'd rather have the suicide booths from futurama and soylent green. the one's with deep stabby action.