Entertainment

Art’s fun in the sun!

Come summer, the best things in life go outdoors, and we happily follow: lounging at sidewalk cafes, seeing concerts in the parks. It’s also when outdoor art pops up across the city — even on the roof of the Met, where Tomás Saraceno’s space-station-like “Cloud City” recently landed. Here are a few other al fresco installations worth seeing — some fun, some provocative and all free.

DUMBO: “WATERTOWER”

Other than the Chrysler and Empire State buildings, nothing defines the New York City skyline as much as its water towers. Paying homage to these uniquely urban structures is artist Tom Fruin’s 14-foot-tall, multicolored plexiglass-and-steel sculpture “Watertower,” crowning a 12-story building in DUMBO.

“Living in New York, I am always looking for a sense of a neighborhood based on the detritus left behind,” says Fruin, 38, who lives and works in Brooklyn. “Things that are overlooked or discarded — drug bags, wrappers, trash — I have used to make my art. Here, I took an overlooked icon — the water tower — and used disparate parts, in this case, scraps of salvaged plexiglass, to make a whole.”

The nearly 1,000 pieces of colored plastic will glitter in the sunlight but the water tower will also be illuminated starting at dusk. “It will be subtle, but we will program the lights inside it to do some tricks,” says Fruin, who notes that the best vantage point to see the tower will be from the Manhattan Bridge, starting June 7, when it goes on view for one year. “Watertower” is on the roof of 20 Jay St., DUMBO (near the York Street F train station).

DAG HAMMARSKJÖLD PLAZA: “WALKING FIGURES”

Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz cast the first of these giant headless and armless figures in 2004. Since then, they’ve appeared all over the world. Here, the 10 nearly 9-foot-tall bronze casts — lined up in two rows, all stepping in one direction — conjure up an aggressive, advancing battalion. Which is an interesting contradiction, given that the plaza is mere steps from the United Nations.

Upon closer examination, you’ll notice the figures have no backs and are in fact, mere shells. Perhaps then, this army is more fragile than it first appears. On view through Sept. 30; East 47th Street between First and Second avenues.

GOVERNORS ISLAND: FIGMENT INTERACTIVE SCULPTURE GARDEN

Who says you can’t touch the artwork? The 10 pieces chosen for Figment’s Interactive Sculpture Garden encourage you not only to touch, but climb on, crawl into, sit inside and even groom. Yes, groom — as in brushing and braiding the “hair” on benches resembling animals in the work “Pulling It Too Tight.”

Too weird? Try connecting with someone across a field, via visual Morse code, using one of two naval signal lamps (“Signal”). Other works include “The Circle of Intention,” based on a Tibetan prayer wheel, where you’re invited inside to contemplate a positive statement, then record your own video response. There’s even an oversized wood TV screen (“Live!”), that lets you alternate between being the viewer and the entertainer: Talk about reality TV! On view weekends and holiday Mondays from June 9 to Sept. 23; govisland.com.

MADISON SQUARE PARK: “PET SOUNDS”

Oozing from railings, poking up along pathways, plopped atop benches and picnic tables, these colorful, odd-looking blobs inspire visitors to reach out and touch. And that’s what you’ll spot both kids and grown-ups doing — stroking the smooth surfaces of the amorphous figures which, in turn, emit various electronic sounds and (good) vibrations. No wonder Los Angeles-based artist Charles Long named it after that classic Beach Boys album, “Pet Sounds.” On view through Sept. 9; madisonsquarepark.org .

CITY HALL PARK: “COMMON GROUND”

If you’re at City Hall Park when a choir arrives, lies on the ground, sings, then leaves — don’t worry, you aren’t hallucinating. It’s a performance piece by Roger Hiorns, one of 11 international artists in the Public Art Fund exhibition “Common Ground.” Each pushes the boundary of what traditional civic sculpture means by using video, performance art and, in the case of Paul McCarthy, a 30-foot-tall inflatable ketchup bottle.

Should you be in the park at lunchtime, gather around the metal-and-glass box. Someone will unlock it, remove a bullhorn from inside and use it to announce: “It’s Never Too Late to Say Sorry” (also the name of the work, by artist duo Elmgreen and Dragset). On view tomorrow to Nov. 30; Broadway, Park Row and Chambers Street; publicartfund.org.