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NEW YORK–When a large-scale construction site at Manhattan West in NYC’s Hudson Yards gave real estate development group Brookfield Properties lemons, it tapped creative technologist The Cuttlefish and event design company Adirondack Studios to make lemonade. That lemonade comes in the form of a 30,000-square-foot art installation resembling a whimsical citrus garden dubbed Citrovia.
When passersby stroll through the path–which spans Manhattan West’s 8-acre campus—they’re surrounded by more than 700 faux lemon trees standing 19 feet tall, complete with 3,800 handcrafted leaves. “The lemon trees have a steel core covered in foam and are slathered with an epoxy. The leaves are made out of a plastic composite and the exceptional plaster lemons were painted by hand,” said Laura Montross, director of communications at Brookfield Properties. (Not to mention the trees are even scented to smell like lemons for an added level of immersion!)
QR codes are sprinkled throughout the walk-thru experience to immerse guests in a fantastical land populated by cartoon characters named Easy, Peasy and Lemon Squeezy.Photo: Alan Schindler
Citrovia’s rainbow “sky” is made of a 2-mile-long piece of lit fabric strategically disguising a nearly yearlong office tower construction project slated to be complete in summer of 2022. Inspired by the terraced citrus groves of Capri, Italy, “Brookfield Properties reimagined the standard-issue construction scaffolding by creating this incredible lemon field. The inspiration blossomed into an entire vibrant landscape of meandering trees that played to one’s senses,” Montross explained, adding that the “elaborate fabric clouds mimic sunrise and sunset” and the “artificial plants also help to combat the space’s lack of natural sunlight.”
As if the scenic walk and endless Instagram-worthy backdrops weren’t enough, the art installation is even sprinkled with QR codes, which guests can scan to access a virtual world populated by cartoon characters named Easy, Peasy and Lemon Squeezy. “Experiences also include a number of augmented realities (AR) for guests to watch vines, blossoms and lemons grow virtually,” Montross said. Plus, there’s an AR-based Whack-A-Lemon game where, by pointing your personal mobile device at a larger-than-life lemon garden, opens the grounds to reveal a gameplay area.
Brookfield Properties tapped New York-based Adirondack Studios to outfit the installation with thousands of leaves, which are made out of a plastic composite and plaster and hand painted.Photo: Alan Schindler
“Ultimately, we have turned what would be a deterrent to pedestrian activity into a destination for New Yorkers and tourists alike,” Montross noted when discussing the challenges of transforming an active development site into an immersive walk-thru experience. “There’s always an opportunity to create art, even in the most unusual places."
“Take a moment to find these hidden gems because these are the unexpected moments that spark joy and inspiration,” she added. And while she attributed Citrovia’s success to the fact that it “paints the city with color” and offers “fresh excitement” in a post-pandemic period, Montross noted that the interactiveness of the experience combined with “opportunities for dazzling selfies, colorful social media posts and its own hashtag #Citrovia” has contributed to the installation’s high foot traffic. An added plus: Citrovia’s fantastical garden is perfectly nestled among Madison Square Garden, The Highline and Moynihan Hall as well as Manhattan’s theater and entertainment districts.
You’ll have to visit Citrovia for yourself to get the full citrus aroma, but keep scrolling for a taste of the lemonade.
Citrovia's citrus garden disguises a nearly yearlong office tower construction project behind more than 700 faux lemon trees standing 19 feet tall, complete with 3,800 handcrafted leaves.Photo: Alan Schindler
The rainbow "sky" is a rainbow-lit, 2-mile-long piece of fabric designed to mimic sunrise and sunset.Photo Credit: Alan Schindler
"The lemon garden was inspired by the terraced citrus groves of Capri. The inspiration then blossomed into an entire vibrant landscape of meandering trees and gigantic faux lemons that played to one’s senses," Montross explained. Adirondack Studios made the trees with a steel core, covered in foam and slathered in epoxy.Photo: Alan Schindler
Artificial plants were added to the design to make up for the location's lack of natural sunlight.Photo: Alan Schindler
Using augmented reality (AR) technology, guests can scan a QR code, point their personal mobile device at a lemon field (pictured) and reveal a gaming platform to play Whack-A-Lemon.Photo: Alan Schindler
Citrovia's whimsy spans Manhattan West's entire 8-acre campus and will run until summer 2022.Photo: Alan Schindler
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