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Documented artwork / multi-part figurative park installation

The Real World

Tom Otterness

Credit as documented: Tom Otterness

Tom Otterness's The Real World brings a miniature bronze society into Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City. The authority dates the installation to 1992. Animals and people share scenes that mix playful appearance with social conflict: workers push oversized coins, frogs struggle beside a moat, and a many-armed figure receives their efforts. Giant feet and a fist interrupt the smaller figures' scale, placing visitors in an unusually large relationship to the miniature world.

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Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

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Verified artwork image for The Real World
Verified artwork imageImage: culturenow.org ↗Photo © Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. (as credited at source)

At a glance

Year / version
1992
Materials
cast bronze
Documented setting
outdoor
Dimensions
Not documented
Dimensions apply to
Not documented
Availability
Unconfirmed

Places & versions

Installation history

Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.

  1. 1992

    Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City, New York

    Site
    Rockefeller Park
    Start year
    1992
    Date meaning
    documented

    Installation details checked 2026-10-17.

    Installation source

Materials and construction

The authority describes a dispersed sculptural installation rather than a single statue. Its inventory and work page establish cast bronze and the park setting, but supply no overall dimensions, engineering requirements or component count for this research record.

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Sources