The Unframed Ellis Island Project brings to life the memory of Ellis Island – once the entry point for over 12 million immigrants from 1892 to 1954. Hailing from every corner of the world, these immigrants left everything behind in the hope of finding a better life despite the constant fear they would be sent back to the place from whence they escaped.
In 2014 renound French artist JR was invited to work on Ellis Island’s abandoned immigrant hospital. Through an installation of 26 eerie, archival, life-sized photographs overlaid on windows and walls, JR pays homage to those who once lived and worked in this storied edifice. Some images are startling in their reality: witness the photo of a group of little children staring straight into the camera, their heads wrapped in white cloth – the indication of their being treated for scalp diseases prevalent among those who made the long, arduous journeys overseas. Bear witness to the group of doctors that seem to float over broken white tiles in the surgery room.
A state-of-the-art hospital built during the height of immigration, this massive complex is where 1.2 million immigrants were treated for measles, scarlet fever, favus and a host of other rare diseases. 350 babies were estimated to born here while and estimated 3,500 people also died here before the facility was closed down in the 1930’s. The space was later used by the Coast Guard who abandoned it in 1954. Opened to the public only four years ago, today it looks like an ancient architectural ruin. With the original lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling, the rusty beds, old lockers, broken windows and leaves scattered throughout the grounds, you instinctively get the feeling of human energy resonating in these empty rooms.
The only way to view the abandoned hospital and installation is by guided tour. Save Ellis Island, the nonprofit organization that helped sponsor the exhibit offers 90 minute guided tours through select buildings and grounds of the hospital.