SELECTED WORK

CONSTELLATION

2008       15’ diameter 66’ high

material: cast urethane resin, stainless steel coated cable, steel.
architects: LMN Architects / Seattle, RIM Architects / Anchorage
site: Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center
commissioned by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
photographs by Clements/ Howcroft

Constellation is a meditation on the breadth and wonder of Alaskan wildlife, inspired by the dynamism and formal elegance of Athabascan fish traps.

Suspended in the main lobby of the new Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center are dozens of fine cables holding hundreds of radiant golden sculptures depicting native fauna.

Compositionally, the sculpture articulates a virtual core sample taken through a particularly rich area ecosystem. Crustaceans and fish varieties comprise the lower zones of the artwork. Above these are successive overlapping layers of shoreline and arboreal species, and above these a broad mix of avian life. Made of translucent cast resin, these components “capture the light” both optically and metaphorically.

Underneath this implied column, inlaid bronze leaves create a corona in the floor. The result is a visual cue, an invitation to stand beneath the artwork and gaze up through a glowing natural vortex.