Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw: Hot Dog in the City
Frankfurters, wieners, Coneys, red hots! Dynamic artist duo Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw take street meat to new heights with a sculpture of the iconic New York City style hot dog. Complete with hydraulics and bursts of confetti, this spectacular animatronic installation sited in the heart of Times Square will also be an anchor for serious talks, playful performances, and political debate. At 65 feet long, Hot Dog in the City will top the record for World鈥檚 Largest Hot Dog Sculpture.
With equal parts spectacle, celebration, and critique, Catron and Outlaw symbolically supersize the all-American hot dog to examine consumption, capitalism, class, and contemporary culture. Hot Dog in the City builds upon the artists鈥� layered conceptual practice which spans elaborate large-scale sculptures, kinetic installations and immersive experiences, often infused with humor and camp to prompt cultural and political commentary.
Introduced to the American masses by central European immigrants as a working-class street food in the 1800s, the hot dog has since become synonymous with contemporary American culture 鈥� a staple at baseball games and Fourth of July celebrations, and even employed as a tool of US international relations, referred to as 鈥渉ot dog diplomacy.鈥� As a symbol and a street cart offering, the hot dog is also a mainstay throughout Times Square and a New York City icon, akin to the yellow taxi cab, the pretzel, the deli cup, and the Playbill.
Free and on view to the public 24/7 during its exhibition in Times Square, Hot Dog in the City consists of a colossal bun and classic red-tinged frankfurter topped with a giant drizzle of mustard. Controlled by hydraulic mechanisms, the hot dog will periodically ascend toward the sky and shower visitors below with confetti. Staged at high noon, these confetti festivities playfully reference quintessential American celebrations 鈥� from New Year鈥檚 Eve and hometown parades, to political rallies and gender reveal parties 鈥� as well as the hyper-masculinity and showmanship often associated with American culture and patriotism.
While Catron and Outlaw鈥檚 sculpture reverberates with the spectacle and towering scale that defines Times Square, the colossal frank also serves as a Trojan horse for deeper dialogue. Drawing parallels between the history of the hot dog and American culture as a whole, the project sheds light on topics such as street vending as an immigrant experience, the underbelly of the meat industry, the patriarchy of meat-eating, and American politics.
Frankfurters, wieners, Coneys, red hots! Dynamic artist duo Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw take street meat to new heights with a sculpture of the iconic New York City style hot dog. Complete with hydraulics and bursts of confetti, this spectacular animatronic installation sited in the heart of Times Square will also be an anchor for serious talks, playful performances, and political debate. At 65 feet long, Hot Dog in the City will top the record for World鈥檚 Largest Hot Dog Sculpture.
With equal parts spectacle, celebration, and critique, Catron and Outlaw symbolically supersize the all-American hot dog to examine consumption, capitalism, class, and contemporary culture. Hot Dog in the City builds upon the artists鈥� layered conceptual practice which spans elaborate large-scale sculptures, kinetic installations and immersive experiences, often infused with humor and camp to prompt cultural and political commentary.
Introduced to the American masses by central European immigrants as a working-class street food in the 1800s, the hot dog has since become synonymous with contemporary American culture 鈥� a staple at baseball games and Fourth of July celebrations, and even employed as a tool of US international relations, referred to as 鈥渉ot dog diplomacy.鈥� As a symbol and a street cart offering, the hot dog is also a mainstay throughout Times Square and a New York City icon, akin to the yellow taxi cab, the pretzel, the deli cup, and the Playbill.
Free and on view to the public 24/7 during its exhibition in Times Square, Hot Dog in the City consists of a colossal bun and classic red-tinged frankfurter topped with a giant drizzle of mustard. Controlled by hydraulic mechanisms, the hot dog will periodically ascend toward the sky and shower visitors below with confetti. Staged at high noon, these confetti festivities playfully reference quintessential American celebrations 鈥� from New Year鈥檚 Eve and hometown parades, to political rallies and gender reveal parties 鈥� as well as the hyper-masculinity and showmanship often associated with American culture and patriotism.
While Catron and Outlaw鈥檚 sculpture reverberates with the spectacle and towering scale that defines Times Square, the colossal frank also serves as a Trojan horse for deeper dialogue. Drawing parallels between the history of the hot dog and American culture as a whole, the project sheds light on topics such as street vending as an immigrant experience, the underbelly of the meat industry, the patriarchy of meat-eating, and American politics.
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As the sun set on a cloudy evening in Times Square on Friday, a 65-foot-long frankfurter cantilevered into the sky and spewed out a blast of rainbow confetti.
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