What's the meaning of 6,000 strands of yarn on the Asbury Park Boardwalk?

Countless people pass under it every day, the vivid and striking sight of 6,000 or so colorful strands of yarn hanging from the rafters of the historic Casino building on the south end of the Asbury Park Boardwalk.

But what’s it all about? To put it simply, it’s about something a lot of us have been missing desperately lately: Connection.

Titled “Aaron,” the piece is the work of Minneapolis-based artist Eric Rieger, who works under the moniker “HoTTea.” It debuted on the Boardwalk earlier this summer as part of the Wooden Walls series of outdoor art installations in the city, and is expected to remain on display through October.

Among the piece’s array of colors is a series of square fluorescent pink sections of hanging yarn, spaced 6 feet apart. When the ocean breeze blows, the tips of the disparate segments finally come into contact with one another — a reflection of how the COVID-19 pandemic required us to maintain social distance, and the ways people have found to re-connect.

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“Aaron” is named in honor of Rieger’s boyfriend who he met this past year, Wooden Walls coordinator Angie Sugrim explained.

“They got really close during the past year of isolation,” Sugrim said. “So I thought that was a really nice love letter to him, and also to everybody that’s gone through everything this past year, and we’re all still here and looking for moments to connect with each other.”

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In a news release announcing the arrival of "Aaron" on the Boardwalk, Rieger said the installation "represents a year of isolation and self-reflection that brought about healing and a renewed sense of purpose with someone that has changed my life forever.”

Rieger’s work made its Wooden Walls debut with a prior yarn installation in the Casino in 2019, bringing a flash of bright, quirky beauty to the landmark site constructed in 1929.

“I’m really drawn to spaces like the Casino that have some history or are abandoned, anything that’s going to really contrast with the colors of the yarn in the installation,” Rieger told the Press.

But beyond the building itself, Rieger also forged a bond with the people of Asbury Park through his eye-catching art.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and so many people really connected to the install on a really personal level,” he said. “And that’s what I have with my artwork because obviously I’m putting artwork out there that’s very personal and has a lot of meaning, and so for people to not only pick up on that but to give it their own meaning I think was really special to me.”

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Hanging in the Casino building separating Asbury Park from the neighboring Ocean Grove section of Neptune, “Aaron” serves as a breezy entryway to the city itself and a fine example of the public art available for free enjoyment since 2015 thanks to the Wooden Walls project.

“If you don’t have any money, I don’t want you to miss an opportunity to see Asbury Park and the beauty that’s in Asbury Park, whether it’s in a historical building like this or whether it’s walking along the Boardwalk,” said Wooden Walls curator Jenn Hampton.

“You can’t even get on the beach for free," Hampton said. "So for me to have the ability to align with people to understand that it’s so important, so important, for people to have a shared experience no matter what their economic background is ... really crucial to keeping Asbury Park authentic and real and grounded.”

Take a look at other works of art on display at the Asbury Park Waterfront as part of the Wooden Walls project:

Rieger explained that he created “Aaron” entirely out of yarn that was already in his studio during 2020, waiting to be put to use.

“I didn’t purchase any new yarn (for the piece). I wanted the piece to really be about that year, and so it’s kind of a patchwork, almost like a quilt of just different swatches of yarn that have all just kind of sat in my studio during 2020,” he said. “Because all of my commissions were either postponed or cancelled and so all that yarn was kind of like collecting dust during that entire year.

“And so, when we were able to finally start socializing again, slowly, and when Jenn approached me about installing there again I kind of already knew what I wanted to do, and that was to use the yarn that’s been in my studio and then just create a piece that talks about being isolated and disconnected but then sort of becoming connected again and reunited.”

Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.