NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� While not one of the major food groups, a bagel and a schmear made of felt might satisfy your appetite for art.
鈥淔eltz Bagels,鈥� the latest installation uses approximately 30,000 pieces of felt to recreate the look and feel of the authentic Jewish bagel shops prominent in New York's Lower East Side neighborhood.
Sparrow says she wanted to depict how this breakfast food brought here by Eastern European immigrants in the late 19th century 鈥渕orphed into New York society鈥� and beyond, making the bagel the Swiss Army knife of breads. Cream cheese, butter, cold cuts, lox 鈥� anything that fits on the circular bread is fair game, Sparrow felt.
Taking over an abandoned storefront in the East Village, Sparrow's pop-up shop runs from Tuesday through the end of October, offering a step back in time and the ambience of a real New York bagel shop.
Adding a dose of reality, Sparrow works the counter, taking orders for the bagel of your dreams 鈥� or your regular order, if you're so inclined. The custom bagel sells for $250, and pricing for other items starts at $10.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the bagel that you order in real life, but I sew it together for you," Sparrow said. "We have everything here from six different types of bagels, 44 different types of fillings. So, the possibilities are endless with what you can create in the art world out of felt food.鈥�
This isn't the first time Sparrow has converted classic New York installations into felt: She previously tackled a 1980s bodega in 鈥�8 Till Late,鈥� and a delicatessen with 鈥淟ucy鈥檚 on 6th.鈥� Like the others, 鈥淔eltz Bagels鈥� provides an immersive experience for the patron.
鈥淵ou are absolutely forcing people to interact with the art that you鈥檙e not usually supposed to do in the art galleries," Sparrow said. 鈥淚 want them to curate their own sandwich with like as little input from me as possible and have that turning art into almost like their own portrait through the medium of felt food.鈥�
Every product recreation and deli item was cut and sewn by Sparrow, who says it took nine months of round-the-clock work.
鈥淚 used approximately 400 yards of felt,鈥� she said.
And while this isn鈥檛 her biggest installation, Sparrow admits 鈥淔eltz Bagels鈥� presented some challenges.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely the most complicated in terms of all the different components and the interaction of having lots of different pieces ... that can be so personalized,鈥� she said.
Other elements of the installation that, well, felt real include an antique cash register, a traditional Greek diner coffee cup and the pickles in a jar atop the counter next to the rugelach. Then there's a full section of baked goods, and shelves all over the store laden with both Jewish delicacies and comfort foods. And, of course, the staple of any authentic New York bagel shop: the black and white cookie.
鈥淭he research for the show basically involved me going into many bagel shops," Sparrow said, 鈥渁nd (I) gather information from all the different places and in my head, turn it into something that鈥檚 very technicolor.鈥�
John Carucci, The Associated Press
