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7 New Sculptures to 'Drift' Under the Manhattan Bridge Archway Next Month

By Alexandra Leon | November 23, 2016 3:59pm | Updated on November 24, 2016 3:21pm
 A set of seven sculptures cast out of a piece of driftwood salvaged from the East River by artist Leonard Ursachi will debut under the Manhattan Bridge Archway on Dec. 1.
A set of seven sculptures cast out of a piece of driftwood salvaged from the East River by artist Leonard Ursachi will debut under the Manhattan Bridge Archway on Dec. 1.
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Leonard Ursachi

DUMBO — What started as driftwood floating in the East River is now being revived as a set of sculptures that will appear under the Manhattan Bridge Archway starting next month.

The tall, spindly structures, by artist Leonard Ursachi, will debut under the Archway on Dec. 1.

The installation, titled "Drift," is made up of seven cement casts made from a piece of driftwood that Ursachi salvaged from the East River several years ago. 

Ursachi made the casts for the platform from a few pieces he saved from the original pier at the end of Anchorage Place.

The Romanian-born artist, who has been in DUMBO for more than 25 years, traveled across the world for several years before settling down in New York. 

“The French gave me a scholarship to the Sorbonne and I went straight to school,” Ursachi told the DUMBO BID. “I stayed in Paris for five years, then went to Canada for a job opportunity. I drifted a lot.”

The sculptures, which will be close to the East River, are meant to represent change in a city that is constantly ebbing and flowing.

“The Archway, beyond its architectural beauty, is also a conduit, a gathering place, a structural element in a bridge that spans the East River, and a vivid emblem of the city and its history,” Ursachi said in a statement. 

“In this site, Drift echoes the poetry and drama of the river, as people and time flow over and through it.”

The artwork will be on display through March 30. 

There will be an opening reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 under the Archway, where Ursachi will be answering questions about the installation.