cloud

cloud

permanent public art installation for a mixed use development, culver city, california
client: greystar, commissioned in conjunction with the culver city art in public places program

materials: mirror-polished stainless steel, fog system
size: 25’x13‘x14’
art consultant: beatrix barker & associates
structural engineer: brad w. smith
metal fabrication: magnum companies
fog system: mee industries
photos: merge
the art installation is part of a design for a public plaza / pocket park in a mixed use building complex at a busy intersection in downtown culver city.

the large sculpture was designed in response to the city’s desire to implement a water feature on the plaza. the goal was to create a water feature that is sensitive to southern california’s climate and water shortage, and maximizes the benefit of water to create a micro-climate in the park. if desired in response to drought conditions, the sculpture stands on its own without the water component.

in creating our design, we wanted to evoke the qualities of water in the sculpture itself. fascinated by the process of the water cycle – nothing is being added or deleted in the infinite movement of water on, above and below the surface of the earth – we used the figure of a möbius band as inspiration.

the sculpture is made of a twisted mirror-polished stainless band. the resulting shape is reminiscent of a raindrop. its perception changes dramatically according to the viewing angle. nozzles along the two narrow edges of the band intermittently emit fog, thus enveloping the sculpture in a cloud that is both surprising to the patrons of the park and cooling to their environment.

aritz ona

aritz ona

permanent installation for the glendale ave light rail station, phoenix, az
client: valley metro light rail phoenix
materials: painted steel, stainless steel, cable
size: five structures, ±9’x8’x14’ each
structural engineer: structural grace
metal fabricator: magnum companies
photos: merge, valley metro
the glendale avenue light rail station is located in the middle of a busy multi-lane street and is accessible through a 180′ long pedestrian approach along the median.

the art installation consists of five organically shaped canopies lining the walkway to the station, and was inspired by the origins of the name arizona: the basque words “aritz ona” mean “the good oak tree”.

our art “trees” add rhythm, shade, and interest to the station approach, and serve as a landmark to passersby and light rail passengers alike. small, sequin-like elements fill the canopies; they sway lightly in the wind and cast both light dots and shadows on the ground.

re currents

re currents

permanent public art installation on the rawhide wash bridge, scottsdale road between williams drive and pinnacle peak road, scottsdale, arizona
client: scottsdale public art, city of scottsdale, arizona

material: painted carbon steel
size: five bent and twisted arches, 16’x25’x118’
structural engineer: structural grace
steel fabrication: magnum companies
roll forming: paramount roll forming
photos: sean deckert courtesy of scottsdale public art
rawhide wash is a major desert wash in the scottsdale area. rare but intense flash floods occasionally flooded scottsdale road and made it impassable. with the construction of the new bridge, this issue is now of the past.

the 185 feet long and 150 feet wide bridge is a simple concrete platform. neither the elevation nor the amount of traffic lanes change on the bridge. the wash bed is dry the majority of time. all these factors obscure the perception of a major waterway. in order to bring the presence of a waterway back into consciousness of passersby we created an undulating wave-like structure that spans over the 14 feet wide pedestrian, equestrian and bicycle path on the east side of the bridge. this wave-like structure is reminiscing of the front wave of a flash flood.

the structure consists of 5 steel ribbons that were rolled and twisted to arch from the southern portion of the bridge edge to the northern portion of the vehicle barrier. each ribbon takes on a slightly different shape.

different types of passersby have a different perception of the artwork according to their mode of travel: the majority of viewers of the artwork are motorized. to them, the piece stands out as a landmark and transforms with the viewer’s changing perspective: the structure appears dynamic, since the front and back layers of the different shaped ribbons creates a moiré effect when viewed in passing. on the other hand, the public art piece enhances the pedestrian and bicyclist experience by creating a more sheltered and interesting space: they move through a multi-dimensional space created by the arches above and their shadows on the ground.

sky

sky

permanent light installation for the san francisco international airport, terminal 3, boarding area e, san francisco, ca
light programming in collaboration with morgan barnard
client: sfo, commissioned by the san francisco arts commission

materials: mirror-polished stainless steel, led lights, mineral paint
size: 27 spheres, dia. 2’ – 5’
structural engineer: brad w. smith
fabrication: weltkugelmanufaktur
installation: atthowe fine art services
photos: san francisco art commission, merge
‘sky’ is a suspended light sculpture composed of 27 mirror-polished stainless steel spheres, ranging in diameters from 2 to 5 feet. the globes are hollow with circular openings facing various directions. illumination levels in the interior of each globe change slowly and give the illusion of an expanding and flattening space: it becomes indiscernible whether one looks at a surface or into an opening. the color shades, created both by the painted interior and the lighting components, are representative of various sky colors.

the installation explores the human perception of space. the exterior of the mirrored spheres use reflections to camouflage themselves in their surroundings; they reflect their environment, and distort and reproduce it in miniature. the optical effect caused by the color and light changes in the interior causes the viewer to lose a sense of the spheres’ proportions as objects. the space becomes unreadable – opening and closing at the same time.

sign of the horse

sign of the horse

public art installation on the orsini bridge, figueroa street at cesar chavez boulevard, los angeles, ca
client: gh palmer associates for the community redevelopment agency of the city of los angeles

materials: fritted glass, reflective traffic film, steel
size: two faces of pedestrian bridge, 110’x7’x6”
art consultant: beatrix barker & associates
glass contractor: glaspro
traffic film application: zumar
glass installation: crabtree glass
photos: larry hirshowitz, merge
the premise of the project was to design a scenic gateway to chinatown utilizing images related to the chinese zodiac at a pedestrian bridge across north figueroa street.

in our artwork we created the illusion of horses moving across the bridge, aiming at a poetic moment of surprise when the viewer experiences wild animals moving through urban space.

a 7’ high glass-steel structure was applied to the exterior sides of the bridge. to achieve the illusion of movement the structure consisted of two layers: the front layer acted like a screen, while the back layer was composed of overlapping motion phases. the screen layer let the viewer experience only one of these image phases at a time. through the motion of the viewer passing under the bridge, the relationship of the two layers shifted and a different motion stage of the animal became visible, thus creating the impression of a moving animal. this illusion worked similarly to a “moiré effect”, a phenomenon well known since the beginning of the 20th century.

the front and back layers of the installation were made of laminated glass. the front “screen layer” was installed as a continuous glass surface with a rhythm of opaque stripes printed onto it. the images on the back layer were applied with a reflective traffic film, thus making them especially alive at night, when a passing car’s lights hit the bridge.

the project was illegally decommissioned in 2012 after the community redevelopment agency of los angeles was dissolved. the client replaced it with a traditional coat of arms reflecting his personal aesthetic preferences.

out of sight

out of sight

shade canopy and seating for a light rail station, metro blue line, willow station, long beach, ca
client: los angeles county metropolitan transportation authority

materials: glass w/ photographic interlayer, steel, concrete w/ relief
size: 9’x30’x1’
structural engineer: brad w. smith
steel contractor: paragon steel
glass contractor: arch aluminum and glass
concrete contractor: quickcrete
willow photograph: alexandr bravo
photos: courtesy of metro © 2006 lacmta, merge
willow station is a busy light rail station along the metro blue line, which links the areas of los angeles and long beach. the premise for this project was the need for platform seating elements as well as a shade structure. the canopy structure utilizes existing pillars for support.

the focus of our artwork is a passenger’s experience when looking out of a train car: watching the passing landscape, a traveler can observe an object from far away, slowly coming close, then for a moment see it almost as a still, frontal image before it disappears out of sight. the memory of a moment can stay in the mind of the observer, almost like a photograph, but the actual image has passed.

in our design we are working with the quality of fleeting images, similar to one’s experience in travel. two photographic images appear on a folded canopy construction. through the special structure of the canopy only one fragmented image can be seen from either platform direction as it is approached. upon approaching there is one moment when one image becomes perfectly aligned and perceivable. upon passing this view point the second image comes into view and fragments the first image. from underneath the canopy both images are equally in view, breaking each other into stripes. the viewer standing right under the canopy also perceives a stretch distortion to the images.

the choice of images is a play on the present and past conditions encountered at the site: the “urban canopy” of the train cables as opposed to the “natural canopy” of the willow trees that once grew right there.

in addition to the canopy, two precast-concrete benches were installed. the benches are inscribed with text fragments which cue the user to the thought process behind the canopy: posing questions about one’s experience of travel and relating to the history of the site.