On Saturday, I eschewed another of my famous meerkat marathons by setting out for the Encampment, a temporary communal art installation dedicated to the memory of Roosevelt Island’s former occupants, including prisoners and patients from the smallpox hospital and the island’s asylums.
Around 9 p.m.–the display was open over the weekend from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m.–Melissa and I took the cable car over to Roosevelt Island and followed the stream of visitors to the south tip of the island, where we were greeted by the crumbling facade of the old smallpox hospital.
Though the smell of treated canvas took me back to summers at Camp Buck Toms, the variety of the display and the community involvement was impressive. If the site weren’t well patrolled by cops and blanketed with other visitors, the dimly-illuminated tent city would have been spooky. Still, we opened each tent flap with some caution, as you never knew what would be inside. In truth, Melissa spent more time investigating the contents of the tents, which had been filled by volunteer artists. Some of the tableaux were elaborate; others made simple statements, such as an older hat in the corner, crushed by an iron bar.
And it would appear that I missed the meerkat event of the season.
Meerkat Marathon? And we thought you were referring to yet another race you had run.