In NYC's East Village sits a blackened steel cube perched on one of its corners. The 1,800-pound installation, officially titled Alamo but more colloquially known as the Astor Place Cube, has been here since 1967, when sculptor Tony Rosenthal created it at the behest of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. It's also very recently become obscure marketing fodder in the form of a made-to-be-viral (and unambiguously fake) video about a man who moved into the cube because he was getting "burnt out and overwhelmed with life." In the video, Dave makes the best of the awkwardly-shaped square footage he has, using acoustic foam to block out sound, a hotplate to make dinner, and a dubious car battery setup to power the lights. It all seems to be an over-involved ad for WHIL, a brand committed to "fighting technostress, though it should be noted that there are many real-life people who live in quarters as cramped as these—though hardly ever rent-free.
· Imagine If Someone Lived In The Giant Cube Sculpture At Astor Place In NYC [Business Insider via Apartment Therapy]
· All Microdwelling posts [Curbed National]