Tribeca Artists Apparently Really Fascinated With Pet Turtles

TRIBECA, NY — La Monte young and Marian Zazeela, a Minimalist innovator and visual artist couple based in Tribeca, are apparently really into turtles and the way they move and think. A New York Times feature delves into the strange minds of these iconic New York artists and their fascination with the slow moving species.

At one point in the 60s, the couple had 14 turtles in an aquarium.

From the Times feature:

The modest pet fueled a series of major works that explored the apocalypse. Beginning with “Recent Ruins” (1979), Ms. Monk said, she “was thinking very much about the end of the world and the beginning of the world, so a turtle seemed very natural.” “Turtle Dreams” (1983) juxtaposes the avant-garde singing of Ms. Monk’s vocal ensemble with footage of a turtle traipsing through a forest, across a map of the world, and, Godzilla-like, in a tiny city.

“When I first got her I had a lot of dreams about her, very strange dreams,” Ms. Monk said of Neutron. “And then I started thinking, how does a turtle think? What would a turtle mind be, and if she’s sleeping, what would a turtle dream be?

“It’s like being around such a mysterious creature. That’s very related to my music: I really want to always to have a sense of mystery and wonder.”

This is a quirky, character-driven piece that some readers might need in the middle of a fast-paced political race that ended in a way many did not expect. It's also a reminder of the creativity that still thrives in the Tribeca community after decades of the neighborhood motivating artistic genius.

>>>Read the full feature in the New York Times.

Photo credit: John/Wikimedia Commons/CC by 2.0