Brooklyn cemetery’s ‘grave of secrets’ lets visitors bury confessions

A white marble obelisk in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, installed by French artist Sophie Calle in 2017, serves as a 'grave of secrets.' Visitors can write down their deepest secrets and slide them into a slot in the base. The project, commissioned by Creative Time, runs until 2042, after which Calle will periodically exhume and cremate the secrets in a ceremonial service.

Calle told The New York Times her intent is art, not therapy. The installation was inspired by a secret her ex-lover confided in her after their breakup. Katie Hollander, executive director of Creative Time, described the project as offering 'a moment of catharsis.'