Symmetry
> Commissioned for Lysen Hall at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind in Faribault, Minnesota, through the Minnesota Percent for Art in Public Places Program
Located at 400 6th Avenue SE, Faribault, Minnesota
Symmetry is a hands-on, interactive wall relief sculpture of lacquered bronze and aluminum specifically designed for the unique 44-foot diameter circle court of Lysen Hall. Centered on each of four walls is a uniformly configured panel measuring eight feet long by ten inches wide. Two smaller panels 14 inches long flank one of the long panels. Basic concepts are discovery, transformation and history.
Each panel corresponds with a season and time period. Moving counterclockwise from the northeast wall are these panels: spring (primordial time), summer (prehistoric to historic time), fall (recent time), and winter (the future). The panels display hundreds of images, both relief and full round. Also depicted in four larger chambers of each long panel are 21 constellations including the signs of the zodiac.
Other concepts include the cycles of life; eight basic geometric forms (two per panel) and the repetition of their shapes in a multitude of objects; eight hidden compartments for actual objects; and parts that move or make sound. Images and impressions of hands and feet were taken from students and staff.
Braille text bars below the panels identify images and concepts. The bronze caption rails were cast from Braille text created by two MSAB teachers who were members of the selection committee.
The project was a collaborative effort with involvement by committee members, staff and students. Students preferred the feel of lacquered bronze to the more traditional wax finish. Input from committee members and staff included chambers that recess into the wall to contain full round objects to contrast with relief images; compartments that contain actual objects; two shorter end panels on the fall wall, because it is the biggest wall and represents school images; review of images prior to casting, to edit and refine for easier comprehension; the winter panel representing the future; and the use of color, with each panel having a distinct color.
The sculpture conforms to the Americans with Disabilities guidelines and is designed to allow maximum accessibility. Height from the floor is 44 inches, extension from the wall is four inches, and depth into the wall is six inches.
Symmetry is about exploration and discovery, how we make connections, interpret and contextualize. Arrangements are sometimes logical and structured but often are playful and unexpected. While some tenets of the diorama are followed (timeline, comparative arrangements), there remains an openendedness that is intended to encourage individual and personal response.
Symmetry, 2003
bronze, aluminum and nickel bronze
10" x 96" x 4" (four panels)
10" x 14" x 4" (two panels)
> MSAB web page about Symmetry
Located at 400 6th Avenue SE, Faribault, Minnesota
Symmetry is a hands-on, interactive wall relief sculpture of lacquered bronze and aluminum specifically designed for the unique 44-foot diameter circle court of Lysen Hall. Centered on each of four walls is a uniformly configured panel measuring eight feet long by ten inches wide. Two smaller panels 14 inches long flank one of the long panels. Basic concepts are discovery, transformation and history.
Each panel corresponds with a season and time period. Moving counterclockwise from the northeast wall are these panels: spring (primordial time), summer (prehistoric to historic time), fall (recent time), and winter (the future). The panels display hundreds of images, both relief and full round. Also depicted in four larger chambers of each long panel are 21 constellations including the signs of the zodiac.
Other concepts include the cycles of life; eight basic geometric forms (two per panel) and the repetition of their shapes in a multitude of objects; eight hidden compartments for actual objects; and parts that move or make sound. Images and impressions of hands and feet were taken from students and staff.
Braille text bars below the panels identify images and concepts. The bronze caption rails were cast from Braille text created by two MSAB teachers who were members of the selection committee.
The project was a collaborative effort with involvement by committee members, staff and students. Students preferred the feel of lacquered bronze to the more traditional wax finish. Input from committee members and staff included chambers that recess into the wall to contain full round objects to contrast with relief images; compartments that contain actual objects; two shorter end panels on the fall wall, because it is the biggest wall and represents school images; review of images prior to casting, to edit and refine for easier comprehension; the winter panel representing the future; and the use of color, with each panel having a distinct color.
The sculpture conforms to the Americans with Disabilities guidelines and is designed to allow maximum accessibility. Height from the floor is 44 inches, extension from the wall is four inches, and depth into the wall is six inches.
Symmetry is about exploration and discovery, how we make connections, interpret and contextualize. Arrangements are sometimes logical and structured but often are playful and unexpected. While some tenets of the diorama are followed (timeline, comparative arrangements), there remains an openendedness that is intended to encourage individual and personal response.
Symmetry, 2003
bronze, aluminum and nickel bronze
10" x 96" x 4" (four panels)
10" x 14" x 4" (two panels)
> MSAB web page about Symmetry