Explore the Development and design of this artwork.
The piece was conceived in 2014 by two artists from New York City and a sculptor from the West Coast. The sculptor volunteered his time and skill in creating the bust, with the piece eventually costing thousands of dollars to create over six months. The artwork consisted of a 4-foot (1.2 m) high, 100-pound (45 kg) bust of Snowden on top of a Doric column, with a Plexiglas stand with Snowden's name on it.The piece was fused to Fort Greene Park's Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument which commemorates American prisoners of war who died aboard British prison ships, in the pre-dawn hours of April 6, 2015. The sculptor recommended that the two artists create a bust after they had suggested a life-size statue of Snowden. The bust was made from Hydrocal, a plaster-like substance resembling bronze in appearance, which was then fixed to the pre-existing column with a non-damaging adhesive. The piece was designed to be similar in style to other sculptures in the park.While it was very important to the artists that the piece be more than just a prop or papier-mache effigy, they also wished not to damage the surface to which the bust would be bound. After some debate, they decided on an adhesive that would firmly hold the head in place, yet could be removed without marring the monument. The sculpture had Snowden's name at its base, consistent with the names on the bases of other sculptures in the park.The Guardian newspaper expressed the view that the bust also looked like the former White House press secretary Jay Carney and some people thought it looked more like him than it did Snowden.Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument 2.0 is one of at least six sculptures and monuments to Snowden that have appeared around the world.  In October 2014, a statue of Snowden appeared in Union Square, Manhattan, near Henry Kirke Brown's statue of Abraham Lincoln. It was shown in conjunction with the Art in Odd Places festival and was sculpted by Jim Dessicino, a Delaware artist.  One of the bust's observers compared Snowden to Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times.
statue of Abraham Lincoln Art in Odd Places Plexiglas Henry Kirke Brown effigy Hydrocal Jay Carney Jim Dessicino West Coast New York City Daniel Ellsberg papier-mache bronze Doric column Delaware Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument Pentagon Papers The New York Times leaked The Guardian Fort Greene Time Fort Greene Park Union Square, Manhattan