On June 5th, felt artist Lucy Sparrow will transform a 1200-square-foot space off The Standard, High Line’s Biergarten into a fully stocked felt convenience store as she opens her big US debut entitled 8 Till Late. Three years after a similar art installation project in London, one of the UK’s most exciting artists will be introducing her quirky universe to New York City’s Meatpacking District.
Customers will be invited to browse the aisles and do their regular grocery shopping, selecting fluffy editions of their favorite convenience store products. Every item you would expect to find in a classic Manhattan bodega will be included in this exceptional installation, from candy to cereal, frozen pizza to Band-Aids. Hungry office workers will be able to create fabric sandwiches from pastrami or salt beef with pickles at the deli counter, or grab a hot-dog from a fully functioning hot-dog stand outside the entrance. The entire project took over six months to research, create and install, and was partly funded by a Kickstarter campaign launched back in the summer of 2016.
Excited to re-create all these iconic American brands and products, Sparrow “can’t wait to see the reaction from local people on seeing a felt world full of their favorite treats and hangover cures!” Aside from being a colorful and amusing installation that plays with familiar reality, the idea of the project is to comment on the demise of the neighborhood corner store. With large corporations taking over worldwide, this installation looks back to the times when local independent stores were directly in touch with the community, being more than just a convenience store. With this in mind 8 Till Late will host weekly events that encourage customers to join in the neighborly spirit through its duration for four weeks.
