At Pier 96 in Hudson River Park, visitors will find a striking sculpture in the shape of a giant bottle. This artwork, titled Private Passage, was created in 2005 by artist Malcolm Cochran.
The sculpture consists of a 30-foot-long bottle lying on its side. Through its portholes, viewers can see a detailed interior that replicates a stateroom from the famous ocean liner Queen Mary.
The cabin is designed for a single occupant and includes a bed, kitchen sink, stove, refrigerator, toilet, and armchair—everything one might expect from a private room aboard a luxury ocean liner. The exterior of the bottle is made of steel, while the interior is constructed from sheet metal and other materials, all in a monochromatic palette. According to Hudson River Park, the design evokes the aesthetic of a platinum print from a black-and-white film, similar to the style seen in 1930s magazine advertisements.
Positioned in the middle of the park with no visible support, the sculpture gives the illusion that it may have drifted ashore—emphasizing a sense of transience and quiet arrival.
According to Malcolm Cochran:
“Private Passage is, on one level, a time piece. For me, it’s a way to remember my excitement as a six-year-old sailing through Europe in 1955, and to conjure the era when Manhattan’s West Side was a hub of ocean liners and commercial activity. It also points toward the future, as viewers imagine themselves in the bottle—individuals, not messages—floating down the river toward the Atlantic on solitary voyages.
Life’s passages.”