El Anatsui’s Broken Bridge II is a Tapestry of Tin and Mirrors on the High Line

Visitors to the West Side's <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/High-Line" target="_blank">High Line park</a> will now be able to enjoy a striking new art installation on the side of a building between West 21st and West 22nd Street. <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/about/public-art/anatsui" target="_blank">Broken Bridge II</a> is a new sculpture by Ghanian artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Anatsui" target="_blank">El Anatsui</a> and is his largest work to date. Made from recycled tin and pressed mirror panels, the installation reflects the sky, light and the surrounding buildings down onto the linear park. Commissioned by <a href="http://www.thehighline.org/about/public-art" target="_blank">High Line Art</a> and installed with the help of <a href="http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/Projects/2550/El-Anatsuis-Broken-Bridge-II#" target="_blank">Olson Kundig Architects</a>, Broken Bridge II will be on display through this summer.

Broken Bridge II is the second iteration of El Anatsui's artwork, with the original shown in Paris during the 2012 Triennale.

The latest version was made with the same materials but reworked to fit the expansive facade of a brick building between West 21st and 22nd Streets. The work measures 157-foot by 37-foot and is a tapestry made of pressed tin and mirrors.

El Anatsui is known for his sculptures and wall tapestries made from collected metallic bottle caps from discarded Nigerian liquor bottles and woven together with copper wire. Broken Bridge II is his largest work to date and evokes the idea of a tapestry with textile like patterns and folds. The mirrors act to reflect the surroundings of the High Line.

To efficiently and effectively install the artwork onto the side of the building, Friends of the High Line and High Line Art commissioned <a href="http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/Projects/2550/El-Anatsuis-Broken-Bridge-II#" target="_blank">Olson Kundig Architects</a> to design a racking system to hold all the pieces.

They created a wood and steel mesh temporary mounting system that hangs from the rooftop of the existing building and will leave minimal markings when removed later in the year.

This beautiful installation makes it seem as though part of the building is actually missing and actually expands the sky - a great thing for a dense urban space, although there might be some weird reflections at some points throughout the spring. Broken Bridge II is now on view and will be on display through summer of 2013.