culture
Safdie Brothers and Alex Kalman Transform Cortlandt Alley Museum With Ordinary Objects
A compact freight-elevator installation in the Financial District continues to draw attention for its creators’ focus on ordinary objects stripped of context.
How we reported this
Museum NYC sits inside an 80-square-foot freight elevator on Cortlandt Alley between Franklin and White Streets in the Financial District, where roughly 100 personal and found items rest on shelves behind a metal gate.
The project opened in 2011 with a ribbon-cutting led by a Rudy Giuliani impersonator and was developed by Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie and Alex Kalman through their Red Bucket Films operation, whose offices occupy the building above the alley. Partial backing came from designers Kate and Jack Spade, whose NoHo store Partners and Spade displays a comparable mix of curiosities.
Objects and audio descriptions
Items on view include toothpaste tubes gathered from multiple countries, sea-encrusted objects such as a driver’s license and pocket knife, Sharpies, shot glasses taken from a Moscow hotel, assorted weapons, a bag of gummy worms and a slice of white bread sealed in plastic. Each piece carries a numeric code that visitors can enter after dialing an 888 number posted at the site; recorded descriptions supply context and occasional humor.
The installation is described as open on weekends from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., yet the slotted gate permits viewing at any hour. The creators characterize the collection as “strange artifacts and objects removed from their narratives” that highlight everyday beauty.
Access and ongoing presence
Residents and visitors reach the alley via nearby subway stops in lower Manhattan. The Glenwood NYC Manhattan Living post from September 2012 remains the primary public record of the project’s origins and layout. Those interested can examine the display through the gate at any time or plan a weekend visit to hear the accompanying recordings.