The Broken Kilometer

Maintained by the Dia Art Foundation in a second-floor space on West Broadway, the installation arranges its two-meter-long brass cylinders into five parallel rows. Though the geometry never shifts, the metal visibly responds to the city air, gradually oxidizing until the full set is polished every two years. Attendants stay on hand to discuss the room's perspective and spatial design, presiding over a calm, non-commercial setting that keeps cameras and phones firmly put away.