River Burn

River Burn (2007–2012)
Paper, wood, wire hanger.
East River, Greenpoint, Brooklyn waterfront

A series of ritual burnings in which paper-and-wire sculptures were set aflame and pushed out into the river toward the city, where they drifted and burned.

From the artist:
For six years on September 20 I built a sculpture on a piece of found wood. Once it got dark, I brought it to the East River in Greenpoint, set it afire, and pushed it out into the current. Friends and I watched as the flames drifted toward Manhattan, sometimes rooting for it to go farther, sometimes watching it in silence as it floated. A long string attached to the board allowed me to draw the burned-down sculpture back to the Brooklyn shore.

This ritual was also done once in the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.