My, my, what have we here? This has to be a joke, because it doesn’t seem possible for someone in all seriousness to make a hipsterific objet d’art of this caliber of ridiculosity.
Let’s examine this a bit more closely. The Original Brooklyn in a Bottle was created by bottledBrooklyn, which “designs art pieces that showcase elements of New York City. Our goal is to share our art and make NYC more accessible to the rest of the world.” The self-described “creative team of Brooklynites” is “one of the few subdivisions under The Ramification Project LLC, an innovative lifestyle company that grows independent brands rooted in creative concepts.”
“This product is 100% vegan-friendly, sealed with soy-based wax and bottled with Brooklyn pride.” Apparently, the three founders traverse the borough with pieces of muslin, strategically applying stains like grass and dirt. They avoid dirt in flowerpots because it’s non-native, perhaps overlooking the fact that their own little non-native fingerprints are all over the precious muslin [at least, one founder is from Pittsburgh, but I don’t believe that any natives could be involved in this].
So, what do you think? I call bullshit and assume that this is a prank poking fun at the brandification of Brooklyn. Or maybe this is conceptual art of the very young and unformed variety? The language and imagery surrounding this project and these people are wrapped up in too many of the proper, timely hipster buzzwords for me to believe that this is serious. If it is serious, it’s the dumbest idea ever. Could it be the work of a bored Onion writer? Nah, I’d expect something more clever from those folks.
For more thoughts, see Gothamist, NYT, and Die Hipster. Also, check out the Authentic Coney Island Boardwalk Shard in a Bottle.
Department of Everyday Visualingual 
M,
Actually, I know several native Crooklynites
who would easily be involved in this type of caper
+ who would be LOL all the way to the bank!!!
Brian, I suppose you’re right. If this is a tongue-in-cheek product poking fun at the fetishization of Brooklyn, then I suppose I can respect it. I just can’t tell if it’s serious or not.
I’ve gone and back forth myself on this! I can’t remember if this was on Jeremiah’s Vanishing NY, but I forwarded it to DieHipster, and was amused by the locally-sourced vitriol he (do I dare assume it’s a he?) infused it with, to borrow some sustainable mumbo-jumbo. Yes, it’s completely and utterly ridiculous. I don’t know what would be more amusing–hometowners rocking this as a huge (and lucrative) joke, or some sheisty transplants, fully aware of the bullshit factor, reaping both monetary and snarky benefits from this. “Young and unformed” sums it up if it’s a naive, yet sincere attempt. Let’s all stayed tuned.
Yeah, I’m on the fence. What’s up with the use of the word “accessible?” Accessible because it’s meaningless? I dunno. Joke or not, this reminds me a bit of too many graphic design thesis projects where students do a massive survey or, say, their dryer lint, and then create a book out of their photo documentation complete with infographics and clever didactics. You know, in the end, it’s much ado about nothing.
I suppose all we can do is assume that this is a naive attempt at ironic product development and marketing. You’re right that it doesn’t seem possible for this to be a serious endeavor. The site itself, as well as the site for the “parent” entity, positively ooze irony. The language is baiting its audience, in my opinion.
My thoughts exactly.