Artist Mark Reigelman II has created “Smökers”, a “site specific art intervention” that features tiny monochrome houses built over New York City steam vents, replacing the distinctive but industrial orange tubes that are normally used. The steam cleverly escapes through the chimney of the house, much like the way smoke escapes from the traditional wooden German smoking houses of Reigelman’s childhood.
The plastic orange steam tubes placed above manholes in New York are a commonplace element within the metropolis landscape. These tubular chimneys offer some sense of spectacle and mystery, but for the most part are one more obstacle in traversing the city. American artist, Mark Reigelman II, has created a site-specific art intervention that forces spectators to reconsider the framework of a city’s infrastructure, and redress the functionality and activation of public space.