Lite Brite Neon Lights Up Hudson Yards

Erika deVries’ luminous #HYxOffTheWall 2.0 installation was inspired by the neighborhood’s past—and present—as a rail yard. “This is a dynamic and celebratory space, people coming together in its market and throughout its cultural spheres,” she says. “Even its history is of people coming and going.” Her piece, which features the word “Somewhere” in her son’s first-grade scrawl, rendered in pink and white neon, is clearly all about place. Here, deVries, a member of Brooklyn’s Lite Brite Neon studio, talks more about what went into the making of the work:

ON HER FASCINATION WITH LANGUAGE

I’m drawn to words that convey either a sense of loneliness or a sense of community and celebration, because we’re constantly switching between our individual selves and our collective selves.

ON WHAT “SOMEWHERE” MEANS TO HER

I’ve lived in many places around the world, as a child and adult, and I very much relate to the title of mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are. There is a sense of belonging and affirmation in it, but also a sadness. I definitely believe that it’s not necessarily better somewhere else.

ON HER CHILDREN’S CONTRIBUTION TO HER WORK

The Somewhere piece is written in my then 6½-year-old son’s handwriting. I was interested in what would happen if I gave him and my children words and subjects to play around with, especially ones that are more conceptual than young kids might be used to.

ON THE PIECE’S UPSTATE CONNECTION

The installation is sort of the big sister to a permanent piece that has been installed in my hometown of Kingston, New York. I’m moved that it’s at Hudson Yards, a place trains once traveled north from. And I’m grateful to be a part of #HYxOffTheWall. It’s such a dynamic project.

Get to know the other artists of HYxOffTheWall.