There are so many wonderful things about The Gates. How the city is coming together to talk about art. How Central Park, so barren and quiet in February, is buzzing with activity. And how people are selling bits of The Gates, from detritus to actual parts of the installation, on eBay. The NY Times notes how a 15 year-old kid's eBay auction of a plain old cardboard tube (used in the unfurling) has caused controversy, causing people to complain with the Manhattan DA's office and call him a moron. Listen, the only controversy is that he set that reserve to $12,000; it's a freaking cardboard tube. When you look at the eBay auctions of The Gates-related items, they are mostly swatches of the saffron fabric handed out by volunteers (if you were nice), souvenirs from the exhibit or even a stray volunteer smock; we couldn't find the orange bolt or plastic pieces mentioned. While the kid isn't accused of theft, a spokeswoman for The Gates said that all the elements from the production were to be recycled.
What would you do with The Gates when its over? One idea Gothamist had was for the fabric to be used in umbrellas. Oh, and while we know dogs are having their day with the installation, have any humans almost peed on them?
Small thumbnail of The Gates from Bluejake
