In a city dominated by skyscrapers, hidden deals, and corridors of power, public land is too often disposed of in secrecy, reshaped without accountability to those it affects. This book is an act of unveiling—through drawings, satirical interventions, and symbolic public installations, it exposes the cryptic world of land disposal agreements.
Set against New York’s architectural strongholds—City Hall, the Tweed Courthouse, and the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building—these installations, or “Folies,” disrupt and democratize spaces of negotiation. By reimagining the tools, symbols, and settings of corporate and municipal power, they bring what is concealed into public view.
This work challenges the exclusivity of decision-making over land. Sidewalk stages replace boardrooms, and public-controlled installations lift the veil on contract signings, inviting citizens to witness and critique the process.
The final act—a radical open-air assembly—reimagines land agreements as democratic, transparent, and public-centered. Here, the authority of the people reclaims its role as the true steward of land.
This book is a challenge to power and an invitation to the public: to speak, to question, and to reclaim the spaces that belong to us all.
