Met Museum's New Roof Sculpture Features Big Bird On A Swing

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The stately Metropolitan Museum of Art will be getting a dose of whimsy thanks to its newest rooftop installation: a 26-foot-tall sculpture depicting the Sesame Street character Big Bird, swinging high above Central Park.

The artwork, "As Long as the Sun Lasts," was designed by the artist Alex Da Corte as the Met's 2021 Roof Garden Commission.

Inspired by Alexander Calder's mobiles, the installation will open to the public on Friday and be on view through Oct. 31, on the Met's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden.

"Alex Da Corte’s bold work for the Cantor Roof Garden oscillates between joy and melancholy, and brings a playful message of optimism and reflection," said Max Hollein, the Met's director, in a news release Thursday.

Big Bird, depicted in blue rather than his typical yellow, suggests an "introspective, melancholic disposition" that is also reflected in his facial expression, the museum said. It is also a reference by the artist, who grew up partly in Venezuela, to the Brazilian version of Sesame Street, in which Garibaldo — the Big Bird equivalent — is blue.

He perches on a crescent moon, facing the city skyline and holding a ladder — "suggesting the possibility of passage back to Earth or to other galaxies," according to the Met. He is covered in about 7,000 individually placed aluminum feathers.

The sculpture's red base is composed of three interlocking pieces, along with a movable part that "sways and rotates gently" with the breeze.

"As the sculpture gently rotates in the wind, it calls us in an assuring way to pause and reflect: We are reminded that stability is an illusion, but ultimately what we see is a statement of belief in the potential of transformation," Hollein said.

Access to the exhibition is free with museum admission, which must be done by reserving a time online.