HOT DOG IN THE CITY

PRESENTED BY TIMES SQUARE ARTS

Equal parts spectacle, celebration, and critique, the project supersizes the hot dog as an iconic symbol of New York City and American culture to examine class, consumption, capitalism, and the myths of the American Dream. Hot Dog in the City builds upon Catron and Outlaw’s renowned conceptual practice, which spans elaborate large-scale sculptures to kinetic installations and immersive experiences often infused with humor and camp to prompt cultural and political commentary.

Introduced to the American masses by central European immigrants as a working-class street food in the 1800s, the hot dog has since become synonymous with contemporary American culture - a staple at baseball games and Fourth of July celebrations, and even employed as a tool of US international relations, referred to as “hot dog diplomacy.” As a symbol and a street cart pervasive, the hot dog is also a mainstay throughout Times Square and a New York City icon, akin to the yellow taxi cab, the pretzel, the deli cup, and the Playbill.

Free and on view to the public 24/7 during its exhibition in Times Square, Hot Dog in the City consists of a colossal bun and classic red-tinged frankfurter topped with a giant drizzle of mustard. Controlled by hydraulic mechanisms, the hot dog will periodically ascend toward the sky and shower visitors below with confetti. Staged at high noon, these confetti festivities playfully reference quintessential American celebrations — from New Year’s Eve and hometown parades, to political rallies and gender reveal parties — as well as the hyper-masculinity and showmanship often associated with American culture and patriotism.

While Catron and Outlaw’s sculpture reverberates with the spectacle and towering scale that defines Times Square, the colossal frank also serves as a decoy for deeper dialogue. Drawing parallels between the history of the hot dog and American culture as a whole, the project sheds light on topics such as street vending as an immigrant experience, the underbelly of the meat industry, the patriarchy of meat-eating, and American politics. 

Throughout the duration of the project, Catron, Outlaw and Times Square Arts will activate the sculpture and its surroundings with public programs that explore the complexities, conflicting views, and absurdities and lore of the hot dog in New York City and America. Performances, talks, debates, and contests—such as a virtual condiment ballot box, wrestling matches, and dialogues led by street vendors and food historians—aim to inspire meaningful conversations and draw unexpected intersections. Whether you’re Team Ketchup vs Team Mustard, a vegan or competitive meat eater, the hot dog offers a low-stakes exercise in engaging opposing views and embracing a diversity of perspectives. The simultaneously delightful and grotesque super-sized artwork holds multitudes of opportunities for both entertainment and contemplation. 

To further uplift the voices of street vendors and the critical civic issues that shape the landscape of their work, the artists will launch a video series with the Street Vendor Project (SVP)—a membership-based organization that champions the rights of street vendors as small businesses to earn a living and contribute to the culture and life of New York City.

see our feature in NY Times arts

EVENTS

Drawing from ideals of American spectacle, events ranged from the spectacular, the thoughtful, to the political. From a gluttonous Nathan’s Hot dog eating contest, an opera staged within the hot dog about the meat packing district, to a "Hot Dog Summit” discussing food futures and the sexual politics of meat, the events unpacked complexities of American “ideals”. Weekly events were staged; at the foot of the hot dog, Town Hall for the Hot Dog Summit, and NYU Langone for the birth of their child.