FLATIRON DISTRICT?Take a look at the latest art exhibition to grace Madison Square Park, three 30-foot-tall tree sculptures by Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. Called Ideas of Stone, the site-specific installation includes boulders tucked into bronze branches, which really adds to their masses: 7,000, 10,000, and 12,000 pounds. The public art officially debuted yesterday and will be in place through February 9. And it will probably be easier to see when, sniff, the leaves are gone from the real trees. [CurbedWire Inbox; official]
OVER THE EAST RIVER?Earlier this year, brokerage Town Residential sponsored a contest called Look Up New York, encouraging folks to submit photos of architectural details above their heads that most rarely take the time to notice. The winner is firefighter Aaron Burns, who snapped (and heavily filtered) the underside of one of the Brooklyn Bridge's Gothic arches after extinguishing a flaming taxi. "[T]here was nobody on the road," Burns said in a release. "We were the only people there on the empty bridge, cleaning up... so I looked up and took the picture. Most people don't have the opportunity to look up and really see the bottom of the bridge." Yup, she's a beaut. [CurbedWire Inbox; previously]
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS?A reader sent us this photo, taken yesterday, of the old "To Let: Flats" sign on the side of 70 Middagh Street. Half is faded, and the tipster suspects a brick repointing project is to blame. That vestige of an advertisement is pretty beloved by photographers and history buffs alike, so let's hope it gets restored soon. Remember, you too can be a tipster. [CurbedWire Inbox]