GLOBAL WARMING COMING FOR YOU
Solar-Powered Merry-Go-Round is the first thing visitors encounter as they enter the PS 199 Barrio Art Space—and it is much more than an art piece. According to its producer, El Gori, the handmade carousel had already attracted more than 60 curious minds by 4 p.m., many of whom returned for a second look. Visitors seemed drawn not only to its playful, innocent appearance, but also to the deeper questions it invites.Entirely powered by solar energy, the merry-go-round can carry up to two children or adults, with a combined weight of 250 pounds. For some visitors, the work quickly became a metaphor for the planet itself—also powered by the sun and caught in its own cycles.One visitor, after taking a ride, reflected, “I feel like I am going through the same cycle without getting anywhere.” Another saw the animals mounted on the carousel as a reminder of climate change, noting that they evoked the threat of global warming—a force that, like the carousel itself, ultimately comes for all of us.What initially appears to be a whimsical, handmade ride thus becomes something more contemplative: a playful machine that invites visitors to think about cycles, the planet, and our uncertain environmental future.