Alexander Milan FilipovW 52nd St between 6th Ave and 7th AveHeart Three · Location 228 · Drawn March 2003Hover over or select the image to reveal a hidden view.PhotographsDownload photograph 1Download photograph 2Download photograph 3Download photograph 4Download photograph 5Download photograph 6Download photograph 7Download photograph 8Download photograph 9Download photograph 10Download photograph 11Download photograph 12Video podcast0:00The location for this drawing is a horizontal one.0:03It's west of 6th Avenue on West 52nd Street.0:08It's in a corporate plaza that's open to the public.0:11The corporate plaza stretches around the block.0:14And on this side of the corporate plaza is a fantastic collection of angular granite0:20couches scattered throughout a wide sidewalk.0:23Just west of these cold stone surfaces is an equally impressive collection of long stone benches,0:31but these have shiny, warm, wooded surfaces on top of them.0:36Our drawing was done on the longest wood surface facing onto 52nd Street.0:44It's the first one near the granite couch collection,0:47and our drawing was done right in the middle of this long sitting space.0:53This is Alexander Milan Filipov.0:56He was drawn in March of 2003.0:59His drawing is counting 10 people.1:04This space is also dedicated to Scott Burton,1:08and it will be the backdrop for our dedication1:09to Alexander Milan Filipov.1:13This private space, dedicated to a public artist with plaques1:16stating that it is open to the public,1:18features long, uninterrupted wooden benches.1:20The color of our tape complements the wood quite well, and I set about drawing the first figure on a horizontal plane.1:29We have made very conscious and concerted efforts to avoid depicting anyone as if they are lifeless.1:35Our drawing of Mr. Philippop attracted the attention of several passers-by, who all stopped to chat.1:41The benefits of public art are its foundation, the public.1:45The public has never expressed hesitation or concern about the existence of our drawings.1:50Except in a few of our cases, there was a lot of concern with our process.1:55The public has fueled and supported our efforts.1:58We thank this space, the work of Scott Burton, and the people who stopped to talk.2:04Alexander Milan Filipov was an electrical engineer and church deacon from Concord, Massachusetts.2:09He divided his summers between the Canadian Arctic expeditions and rebuilding Model A cars,2:15experiences that set him on a lifetime path of outdoor adventures and tinkering with intricate machinery.2:22His son David Filipov, Moscow bureau chief for the Boston Globe, is now in Afghanistan covering the war that began essentially with my father's death, he wrote in the Globe.2:33Filipov, 70, was born in...← Location 227Heart Three · Location 228Location 229 →
