https://www.colosser.com/the-commons-gallery daily 0.75 2020-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901587041-1FNONW0E5JQLHC1EX4E5/01completedalleyfromstreetday.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Alley rehabilitation, as seen from Baltimore Avenue. Baltimore Alley is a transitional space historically, lying as it does between buildings of quite different eras and styles, and also functionally since it acts as a connecting passageway. In life we often hurry through such “in-between” spaces, thinking instead of the places we have left behind or are moving towards. We invite the traveler to slow down and rest, and to allow time for quiet reflection or conversation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901587355-ZSVYPA4TMRLERMM7M5PB/02alleybirdsseatingnightmoon.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Completed alley rehabilitation, as seen from Baltimore Avenue at night. It was important to us that the space would feel equally inviting in both day and night hours, since vital urban communities do not shut down at dusk. We deliberately strategized to create a distinct experience for the darkness, using lighting with organic colors and gentle movement that would enhance feelings of calm and companionship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901587576-H2DZKT432CK3MTNJT1J1/03oldalleyentrance.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. The view up the alley from Baltimore Avenue before our intervention. Our design goal was first to turn a neglected space into one that is engaging and hospitable. We saw the sloping pavement surface as a canvas that would be visible from a distance and draw people in off the street. The concrete was in a poor condition, and we felt that repaving would immediately make the alley feel safer and cared for. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901587801-1S929J7QVG6278G0M2CW/04oldalleyfromabove.JPG The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Looking down the alley towards Baltimore Avenue from above. The alley is flanked on both sides by tall buildings – a parking garage and loft apartments – and so we also wanted to make our design one that would be visually intriguing from an aerial perspective. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901588049-BOBX20MDR105NQFIX1WQ/05designrenderingabovebehind.JPG The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Looking down the alley towards Baltimore Avenue from above, design rendering. The sinuous line of the paving design interrupts the rectilinear space and suggests a different pattern of movement through it. We chose to build a narrative into the site about a wilderness that could well have existed here before the city was settled. The various components of the design relate to an entwined human relationship across time with the biology and geology of this particular place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901588642-6GAM8FP0YZJTZGNRDA4M/06rocksinsidedesigncenter.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Prototype and actual seating units inside the Design Center. Below the parking garage, at street level, is a design center in which students from two regional architectural programs learn about urban design. The focus of the program is to consider ways in which the urban environment can become more livable, sustainable and meaningful to people who use it, and we felt strongly connected to this goal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901589242-FW13I0DNAGO2DAURIW7D/07seatingpoolfromabove-behingdafterrain.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Stream and seating from the parking lot. Our design concept was to create an environment that could be used and enjoyed as a place of rest, reflection and social connection, by people who live, work and visit in the neighborhood. In a way, it is a model for a new kind of urban park. Most people alive today will probably experience an urban existence their whole lives. We were drawn to the vital qualities of this setting, looking for ways to reclaim and invent those aspects that grow the quality of life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901589227-2XE9UXY2A870NGELYT39/08designplan.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Full design rendering from above. We were not interested in simulating the wild, but rather in reinterpreting natural form in an urban language. This is an experiment to see if, in the middle of a city, we could create the atmosphere of visual intrigue, quiet thoughtfulness and companionship - similar to the experience that travelers might find on a hiking trip when gathered around a rock pool or a campfire. We are interested in feedback that assesses both the initial question we asked and whether the installation succeeded in its goal or not. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901590416-03M8GWS2KIPMWENA1QJM/09rocksdrawing.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Schematic rendering of three seating units showing their stacking structure. The forms of the seating units are influenced by the distinctive Bethany Falls limestone that is found widely throughout this area. They also reflect the vertical stacking motif in the architecture on either side of the alley. The design creates sitting surfaces at many different heights, and encourages people to gather in small, intimate groups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901590275-ONUNYVESJET0MWQQ3OXQ/09installedrock2.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. The actual seating structures are made from layers of recycled HDPE plastic. In this project we worked to model a more sustainable pattern of development by choosing materials that, whenever possible, are low impact or recycled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901591595-AEMSWOFBK1HEODHTUYJ0/10oldkcmapmiddistancewithBAsite.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Map of Kansas City during its early development. At this time much of the native geology, including water channels, was still a part of the urban landscape. We imagined that in a time before Kansas City was built on these bluffs above the Missouri river, a small stream or creek could have flowed down the slope where the alley is now, on its way to the river below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901592385-IPU70ZTZQUBSAWF1DU80/12alleysurface.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Close-up of the Aggretex composite. The surface of the stream form is textured with small chips of black granite and tumbled recycled bottle glass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901592694-2PJ7JQPXPWEWOST3POZN/13rockpoolrenderingabove.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Rendering of the front seating cluster and whirlpool lighting at night, from above. The overall design includes two lighting units embedded into the paving, one next to each of the two seating areas. The one closest to the large rocks suggests an eddy formed as the stream flows into a small pool between them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901592983-5TV94Y24C2J2MDKZXZUJ/14pool+tiles02a.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Rendering of the main seating area at night, from upstream, looking towards Baltimore Avenue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901593183-X4F3X7JI1DUK8GP3VV90/15pool+tiles03.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Rendering of the main seating area at night, from Baltimore Avenue. Both the whirlpool and fire pit lighting units can be seen. The second embedded lighting unit is between the two small seating rocks, and flickers and glows like the embers of a campfire. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901593973-7M8XRBV9Z2IDQ5DK2ZWA/16lightingtestsfiretile.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Fiber optic tests on glass tile prior to installation. Using a revolving color wheel, LED illumination and carefully placed fiber optic strands, we generated light patterns that recall the mesmerizing movements of light in a fire or a whirlpool. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901594110-J70C54C96FDGNO5A36I6/17litpoolfromabove.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Installed pool lighting element. There are three intersecting waves of light and scattered sparkles that make up the rippling patterns across the pool’s surface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901594709-SJ283K2B5ADU2U4OG476/18stuffedparakeet.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Carolina Parakeet (stuffed). When the first European explorers arrived in Kansas City they discovered huge flocks of brightly-feathered birds that filled the skies, known as Carolina paroquets (or parakeets). Within fifty years of settlement these colorful native parrots had become extinct. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901595195-H5SL2ZJBY5Y0GJV8KIS9/19backsidebirclusterflatlight.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. View of the Ghost Birds wall sculpture showing undersides of the “bird” forms. We reference the plumage of the Carolina Parakeet here, as a memory of these colorful ghosts. Applied color reflects from the undersides of the aluminum components, creating an intangible presence on the supporting panels that shimmers when the wind moves though the sculpture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901595972-KYLHWUZRMJM8A7CCDLW4/20singlebirdpanelstrafinglight.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Close up on a Ghost Birds sculpture panel, late afternoon light, no illumination. The curved sculptural forms use bearings and a counterweight system to rock gently in the wind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901596063-R2ODRMD7LH84SM9JQ6CZ/21squaregrid.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Schematic of the wall sculpture’s initial patterns, before “drift”. The pixellated flock sculpture is based on the form of a disintegrated square, exploring visual connections between the individual panel components, the architecture of the design building, and the QR code forms of the narrative element that are mounted on the wall below. It bridges between the organic shapes in the rest of our design and the rectilinear cityscape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901596895-7QZOOB0ZZJ4OTQ75UKLR/22Ghostbirdsfullperspective.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. We deliberately used curving mesh patterns for the “bird” distributions, and then allowed these to be disrupted by the disintegrating geometry of the larger composition. This process creates visual relationships that are on a soft edge between random scatter and natural order. From a distance the living, curvilinear flock pattern predominates, while close up this perception fragments into abstract “samples” that reference the gradual disappearance of the Carolina Parakeet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901597437-OMJV9VLZ1BMKT66RYVJY/23Ghostbirdpanelscloseup.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. One of the aspects of the Ghost Birds that we find particularly satisfying is the way that the sculpture changes in different lighting conditions and from different points of view. At night, from the front side of the sculpture, the curved aluminum forms partially obscure the ghost images locally reflected by the led light source next to each one, but the polished surfaces also reflect colors from other directions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901598019-5Q2JOKIM1M2Q26Z7UFGV/24birdsrocksignriver.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. In the morning from out on the main street, before daylight has fully penetrated the alley, the silvery reflections from the Ghost Birds flock create a wave of light moving into the shady space. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901598529-UJP6FAZKOYNLWS31CZ8F/25Ghostbirdsunderneathcloseup.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. View from directly underneath Ghost Birds at night. From this point of view there is a strong emphasis on the applied color on the underside of each unit, enhanced by the led illumination and its surrounding halo of reflected light. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901599224-YVZQM8HXNVMMUYI665DT/26closeupbirdsflatlight.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. View from underneath the Ghost Birds in flat daylight. The applied color has a completely different quality in these conditions, and the ghost reflections are subtle shadows on the supporting panels. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901599715-5Y1RUMZK33IAHE5UTJJX/27closeupbirdsstrafinglight.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Four Ghost Birds sculpture panels, in strafing sunset light, no illumination. The interplay of long shadows, bright halos of color and glowing reflections from the polished fronts and edges of the forms can be quite mesmerizing at this time of day when they move gently in the wind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901599902-R0J33XGBBCPH8SPVBZV6/28QRsiteplaque.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. QR plaque connecting visitors to The Commons website. This inlaid Corian tile is placed next to the main seating area and links people with smart phones or other digital devices to a website made especially for the installation. The site comprises an interdisciplinary component of the project, telling the story of the life and death of the Carolina Parakeet by means of subjective narratives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901868689-EWV6NVBQGLCQBMOJ7KUQ/screencapture-thecommonskc-wordpress.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Screen capture of the website front page. On the website, people can choose either a visual display of stories that they can read for themselves, or a sound file of each story being read to them. The stories are actually all short quotes from different historical and contemporary sources that describe the complex relationship between people and the rest of nature. The transiting traveler can choose her or his own place in the story, and can leave feedback on the site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901600619-DLM14MZXD2W7MMD59P22/30singleqrstorytile.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Close up on a QR story tile. Small glass tiles mounted on the alley wall also use QR (quick response) codes to connect visitors directly with the audio files of the “ghost stories”. We recorded school children from Kansas City reading the texts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901601319-C803YDT8QB1LIJ6PJO0T/31QRstorytiles.jpg The Commons Gallery The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. QR story tiles in series. Each audio file has a code tile linking to it, so that a person could scan each one while walking past and listen to the different stories in sequence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215682100-QBXKZ606X6K7DRLCT2JQ/commons_gallery.jpg The Commons Gallery - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215718595-1VUEGIL17TIL974Q4WEN/commons_narrative.jpg The Commons Gallery - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215682678-YCSBZJP1S14FW83T2XFH/commons_process.jpg The Commons Gallery - Process https://www.colosser.com/the-commons-narrative daily 0.75 2020-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902734977-7G82GTMBDPUT26GQE85C/commons_nar.jpg The Commons Narrative This work develops our proposition that public artists and designers can also be experimental citizens, creatively building forms and environments to engage the public with important ideas of our time. Richard Louv has written compellingly about “nature deficit disorder” in his book Last Child in the Woods. Even a small patch of “wasteland” in a neighborhood can introduce children to the benefits they used to obtain from daily contact with natural environments. Adults don’t stop needing the same opportunities for grounding, discovery and rest in order to live well. Our design is an experiment testing a question. Can an environment that celebrates natural qualities such as organic line, gentle movement and lively color create and sustain similar states of wellbeing, while still clearly belonging to a downtown urban setting? We invite visitors to engage with questions about a past, present and future relationship between people and their environment that arise from this proposition. We are interested in feedback that assesses both the questions we have asked and whether the installation succeeded in its goals or not. We welcome criticism, however challenging, but please be kind and generous in your approach. All comments may be left at the dedicated website: thecommonskc.wordpress.com. This work was supported by a commission from the Art In The Loop Foundation in Kansas City and by development funds from the city itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215682100-QBXKZ606X6K7DRLCT2JQ/commons_gallery.jpg The Commons Narrative - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215718595-1VUEGIL17TIL974Q4WEN/commons_narrative.jpg The Commons Narrative - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215682678-YCSBZJP1S14FW83T2XFH/commons_process.jpg The Commons Narrative - Process https://www.colosser.com/about-alt daily 0.75 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1570467706365-G3NCDADN8RCTP4JR0G4W/%2377c7a8.png About ALT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551298561140-MAU9PZEEO20C9XHWXRIZ/csf-our-people-julia-cole+copy.jpg About ALT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551296012276-G699FKEBFM6PZTFGHPJP/leigh_rosser.jpg About ALT https://www.colosser.com/contact daily 0.75 2020-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583602186265-OG158BAU6XK3XN9P52WF/%252525252523ffab26.jpg Contact https://www.colosser.com/the-commons-process daily 0.75 2020-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902889715-4S88NDQ72GBVLFSSG3E1/01templateupalley.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Alley from the street end, after demolition, with the stream template and whirlpool template in place. Because we wanted to maintain complex organic curves and were working within a relatively limited budget, we cut templates for the formwork using our CNC router. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902889864-WCKY6R8VSW9093FQX9GN/02templatedownalley.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Alley from rear, slightly above, stream template in place. This method also allowed us to easily visualize the design on site prior to implementation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902890830-YERNS7ALFV59ZXERUFQQ/03concreteformsdownalley.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Alley from the rear, with the stream template and forms in place. The concrete crew was then able to set the forms tightly to the curves we specified. There was still some flattening that happened in small areas, but it was relatively simple to grind these after the first pour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902891057-D4KDS5C6R4BY24DQENGP/04pouringoutsidegrey.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. The rear end of the alley, from above, during the outside pour. The brushed grey concrete surround was poured first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902891728-M24ONQUWNO9E4R0Q3TF3/05pouringoutsidegreywithauger.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Towards the back end of the alley, from the parking structure, showing the outside pour using a concrete auger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902891950-N9Y7CYEFZIQ50JIYV7MH/06pouringinsidegrey.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. After the outside pour had hardened, the forms were removed and a shallower layer of grey concrete was poured inside the stream area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902892839-8MZUIYRC4EF9EHHLJ4SQ/07pouringinsideblue.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. When the inner grey concrete had firmed up but not started to harden, a second thin layer of concrete was poured on top. This layer contained blue pigment and the aggregate mixture we had chosen to create a surface texture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902893077-1WX1XHN7T2FTJJTB1JD9/08revealingaggregate.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Before the material had completely hardened, the surface was pressure-washed to reveal the aggregate mix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902893612-2Q4B7Y1EALZSQLRBB2WW/09seatingprototype.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Prototype of a seating unit made out of MDF (on a dolly). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902893870-SVPYKOC3Y5WNPF0RBABD/10ROCK+SHEET+LAYOUT.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Schematic for material layout. The seating units were constructed by assembling segments of HDPE that were cut on a CNC router and then stacked in layers, to maximize the efficient use of the material. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902894052-PWSKHIZAPPIDAB2UT1HA/11rockconstruction.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Each seating unit has a supporting internal structure and a concealed locking mechanism that allows for disassembly if required. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902894604-HQW58TBOBSL4ZGB12L46/12rockinstallation2.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Installation of the seating units on site. The embedded lighting unit is not yet in place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902895282-QK26ICQU44KSVTGQJ5TC/13embeddedlightingdrawing.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Design schematic for the embedded lighting forms. Each of the two seating areas features an illuminated glass tile that is sunk into the pavement. Light patterns are generated by high efficiency LED illuminators concealed in two of the seating units, and maintenance-free fiber-optic transmission from there to the embedded glass tiles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902896275-0C46SW12ERN2CKKHTUHR/14glasstilesbeforeassembly.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Whirlpool glass tiles after firing. We worked with an architectural glass company to develop this new kind of tile. The shapes are made from chunks of recycled glass that are arranged in a laminar pattern and then fused together in a mold. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902896383-TJ99YBEPKR0RH08RDWWC/15fittingthepooltileunit.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Fitting the pool unit on site. Here we were making sure that the base structure for the lighting assembly would fit comfortably and well into the concrete cavity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902896540-AQ4ACUVTI5EL82MYJCS6/16poolunitfiberopticpatternlayout.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Pattern backer panel for inserting fiber optics. Installing all the fibers was a complex process in order to keep the forms of the ripple waves moving in unison across the glass tiles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902896833-FJB0YED97FWPPUPUH10G/17poolunitspacers.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Spacer patterns for the pool unit assembly. These structures allowed space for the fiber optics to protrude out of the back of the tile assembly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902897824-C4XZOSXDCF1ZE8PLU8XX/18pooltilefiberoptics.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Detail of the fiber optic alignment on the back of the tile assemblies necessary to generate complex patterns from a simple rotating stencil on the light source. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902897703-NA74QFKT2YYE9A1S4EC8/19lightingunitwithcustomwheelandgels.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Illumination unit showing custom-cut stencil and rear-mounted light gels that generate colored light patterns. This unit is for the fire element. Two similar units were used for the more complex patterns in the pool unit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902898674-GXUO8KJH98U49D3NZHV7/19pooltileinstallaionoutside.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. One of the illumination units installed inside one of the rock seating structures. All electrical connections for the lighting are above ground and accessible. Only the fiber optic strands pass through conduit embedded in the concrete. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902899549-K2NGW9VTTYEWCXLB99ML/21installingthepooltilefrominside2.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Installation of the larger embedded lighting unit on site. The assembled unit made up of HDPE structural components, fiber optics, glass tiles and polyurethane rubber holding everything in alignment weighed around 250 lbs. We needed a hydraulic front loader to lower it gently into place while feeding the fibers through the embedded conduit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902900798-KC9WKERXMC0S0RN2Z82N/22powdercoatedbirds.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Powder-coated bird forms. These are the basic forms for the Ghost Bird sculpture. The shapes were cut from sheet aluminum, rolled, drilled, sanded, cleaned, masked and powder-coated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902901455-DYL8C2GGZ3XKHTQA0ERE/23birdswithrockerarmsattached.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Bird forms with custom brackets and welded pivot shaft riveted on, ready for assembly onto the final panels. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902902455-Z90SZ0I2A1VS92KVXFFU/24cuttingbearingblockscnc.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Cutting bearing blocks from recycled HDPE sheet material on the CNC router. Each block was designed to hold two skateboard bearings, one in front of the other, to give a stable and durable mechanism for the movement of the bird units back and forth in the wind. They also contain a hole for the led lighting cable to pass through. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902902450-BYISEVO772I953G9I4E1/25closeuprockerandwiringpanelback.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Back of a wall sculpture panel showing an assembled rocker mechanism and counterweight, and the wiring for the LED lighting on one bird unit. The cables had to be carefully routed and held in place so as not to interfere with the free movement of the bird units. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902903623-G9SW6SUGF22P8JEUGHRC/26panelsshowinglightingtubes.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Front of some completed panels, showing small lengths of aluminum tubing protruding from the backer panel, each housing a single, warm-white led per bird unit. The tubing was cut at an angle to minimize glare for viewers in the alley below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902903886-S8L1J5U3ERS7PBDTKEWE/27mountingframeswithtemplates.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. We made masonite templates to mark the position for each panel on the wall, and then used these to mount support frames onto which the panels would bolt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902904306-QDGDMDA9BVXYJCIY3526/28closeupframemounts.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. We used the grooves in the wall cladding to run electrical wiring for each panel, leaving a waterproof pigtail at the end of each run into which a panel would plug. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902905428-ZU28H5IW9ADT5XW6YP3S/29hookinguppanelelectrics.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. Connecting the panel electrics prior to final installation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902905880-4M1EY3F717EE5D48XAL1/30JuliaLeighonscaffold.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. We were able to run close to 200 Ghost Bird LEDs from a single pre-existing light fixture (seen at upper right). The photo sensor that controls ambient lighting in the alley also switches on the led illumination for the Ghost Birds sculpture and the embedded pool and firepit lighting units. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902906636-JN0V80YGZZL9JM7CRUD3/31acrossbirdsupalley.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. View across the completed sculpture from the scaffold, prior to removal of the protective sheet on each Dibond backer panel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902906644-M2OU037XK67ZZYG3SI7O/32QRtilewebsitecorianinlay.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. The QR tile linking visitors to The Commons website was made by routing the text and image into Corian, inlaying two colors of resin adhesive and then sanding the surface smooth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553902907412-RH95LMAOL7CB6UA83LMR/33qrstorytiledecal.jpg The Commons Process The Commons, downtown Kansas City :: 2012. The series of story code QR tiles were made by firing digitally printed decals onto off-the-shelf freeze-tolerant glass tiles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215682100-QBXKZ606X6K7DRLCT2JQ/commons_gallery.jpg The Commons Process - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215718595-1VUEGIL17TIL974Q4WEN/commons_narrative.jpg The Commons Process - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1551215682678-YCSBZJP1S14FW83T2XFH/commons_process.jpg The Commons Process - Process https://www.colosser.com/inheritance-narrative daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652251962-S8E5JWPVLWX53PLZS2WE/A+hallway01.jpg Inheritance Narrative This body of work was created for a new community center built on the edge of Swope Park in Kansas City. The park is an extensive parcel of land that was donated in 1896 by Col. Thomas Swope to the people of Kansas City, “for their perpetual enjoyment”. The overall body of work is called Inheritance, partly in reference to this legacy. The title also suggests the way in which even urban neighborhoods inherit a cultural history that is intertwined with a local physical environment and its ecological community. The word “community” is a lovely, dynamic term that embraces both a sense of place and a way of relating in that space. The overarching theme of our project became the description of that community - drawing parallels between ideas of interdependence and interconnection found in both ecological and cultural systems. Inheritance consists of a series of art works that connect thematically throughout the space, in a flexible set of relationships. We installed a total of five artworks in the building, including a 150-foot long responsive, kinetic sculpture, a touchable polished wood topography and three translucent maps. The remaining two works are interactive surfaces that allow for community input, though they also exist in an alternative state as complete artworks. This work was made possible through a Kansas City municipal 1% for Art commission. It also received support for the programming components from an ArtsKC Inspiration Grant and a Kansas City Art Institute Outstanding Special Project Award. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901048939-BV23AJ68MB5B07LGRCZN/conweb-closeup01.jpg Inheritance Narrative - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901066668-TFKNTZ56VKANYXXVOMB4/inheritance_nar.jpg Inheritance Narrative - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553900984422-M3VENQHRR45YCUR4WFVK/CNCaluminum.JPG Inheritance Narrative - Process https://www.colosser.com/inheritance-process daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652417017-WHR0O9JYEN7CY4CH0YNM/motorandsensors.jpg Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. These are the transformers and sensors used in the kinetic Ripple Effect sculpture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652415655-RW2ZXQV0AFZ4FXBZ432S/CNCaluminum.JPG Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. This image shows a sheet of aluminum on the bed of the CNC, which is cutting parts for the motor mounts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652415594-MJQMLASAL97N1Q8JD1ZE/CNCmotormountparts.JPG Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. CNC cut parts for motor mount, prior to assembly and painting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652417069-CCXMRD27L5EVEZFTGPCW/sensorbeneath.JPG Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. This is a view from below the assembled motor mount showing the downward-facing sensor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652415819-EP45IQ971G1GZLB3FLR3/controlbox.jpg Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. A view inside the control box, showing connections to the sensor unit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652416127-JJNC4PCRAHU3A5XGYVK0/controlboxcloser.JPG Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. A closer view of the motor and controls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652416566-5RZDQF1H5L7GUP6YWZGP/finsintheshop.jpg Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. Here the acrylic fins are fitted with mounting hardware in our workshop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652414793-Q3O0CQNNF24LV9M77ZMD/clampplate0%60.jpg Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. This is a side view of the clamp plates that attach the fins to mounting hardware and each other. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652414666-13E7NVAA00C9GN4U9ZWM/bladeconnection.jpg Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. This is a detail of the blade connection system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553652414544-FRFORHAEWXNLRPOHXIL8/ceilingmount.jpg Inheritance Process Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. This is a detail of the ceiling mount and stabilization system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901048939-BV23AJ68MB5B07LGRCZN/conweb-closeup01.jpg Inheritance Process - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901066668-TFKNTZ56VKANYXXVOMB4/inheritance_nar.jpg Inheritance Process - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553900984422-M3VENQHRR45YCUR4WFVK/CNCaluminum.JPG Inheritance Process - Process https://www.colosser.com/inheritance-gallery daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650007862-937CLONC7AG13OJXIGJ4/seccfront.jpg Inheritance Gallery Southeast Community Center, Kansas City, MO :: 2009. This new building is located on the northern edge of Swope Park in Kansas City. It replaced a small, neglected facility in an historically underserved neighborhood nearby, and was worked hard for and much wanted by its surrounding community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650008390-F7DNLWABYUOVPYQVB0WF/swopy+front.jpg Inheritance Gallery Architect's rendering for the new community center :: 2008. We were included in the final planning and construction stages of this silver LEED building, and so were able to integrate work sensitively into the space. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650002205-EUZX57XZEAPMN1WFIKFX/comground03.jpg Inheritance Gallery Common Ground: 6’ x 4’ 6” x 2” Baltic birch plywood, cherry wood trim, oil paints, conversion varnish, pulsing led light :: 2009. This is a touchable, polished wood topography of the land on which the community center, park, and surrounding neighborhoods are located. These contours welcome the visitor as they arrive, and are an invitation to connect with the land through physical sensation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650001954-HDUXLRCA81KDKGRNEVE3/comground02.jpg Inheritance Gallery Common Ground: 6’ x 4’ 6” x 2” Baltic birch plywood, cherry wood trim, oil paints, conversion varnish, pulsing led light :: 2009. The location of the Community Center is marked on the map by the slowly pulsing blue light, and this acts as an orientation point for visitors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650003037-EMVCRA2GIE7SA3G5ND5E/commongroundriver.jpg Inheritance Gallery Common Ground: detail prior to varnishing :: 2009. A close examination of the surface reveals that the Blue River valley has been painted in by hand to look almost exactly like the pattern generated by carving through the layers of plywood. It is hard to tell where the “natural” begins or ends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650003088-G5BFWLK6JCOW93TNJR0E/commongroundsurface.jpg Inheritance Gallery Common Ground: detail :: 2009. We have seen Parks employees trace their daily journeys by running their hands over the surface of these contours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650005897-R1RFEM8TIG9Z47TGC6PJ/panel+set+combined+sml.jpg Inheritance Gallery Mapping Community: Graphics of the Map of Possibility, Map of Probability, and Map of Being: Digital design for printing. These are the digital designs for three maps that describe symbolic ways of connecting to this particular place and to the relationships that exist here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650005349-OYSR7HXPQ0EO6OS9XHI1/maps01.jpg Inheritance Gallery Mapping Community: Actual panels are 30” x 39”, and are composed of tempered glass, acrylic, double surface printing, metal stand offs :: 2009. Because the actual maps are both translucent and reflective, they are quite difficult to photograph. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650010070-OMTN8YJ306BWZZ5TR87C/watermapcu.jpg Inheritance Gallery Map of Possibility (detail): 30” x 39”, tempered glass, acrylic, double surface printing, metal stand offs :: 2009. The first panel is a mapping of the physical terrain, including actual and remembered water. There are many creeks, lakes and seasonal streams that once flowed across the surface of the land, shaping its gullies, slopes and valleys. The inland ocean made many of the rocks found in this region, and ice, wind and water turned them into proto-soils - forming the cradle for the complex web of that followed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650005719-QQ98979AHCVC4U0QJT7U/maps03.jpg Inheritance Gallery Map of Probability (detail): 30” x 39”, tempered glass, acrylic, double surface printing, metal stand offs :: 2009. The second panel is a map of intervention by living beings, showing traces of flora, fauna and humankind. Information on the Map of Probability also links to two other sites in the installation – the Connection Web and Video Explorers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650008548-3A2459V9DWX13V60XO4Z/textmapcu.jpg Inheritance Gallery Map of Being (detail): 30” x 39” , tempered glass, acrylic, double surface printing, metal stand offs :: 2009. The third panel is a memory map of gathered cultural experience. We interviewed people in Swope Park and gathered stories about their experiences connected with specific places around the park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650000862-2QFQFGZP2MDPPOJ8OPFW/A+hallway01.jpg Inheritance Gallery Main hallway inside the SECC showing Ripple Effect and Common Ground installations :: 2009. The project as a whole has several layers of engagement, in that it is simultaneously intended for the community’s enjoyment, to be of use to the community, and to encourage the collaborative making of art by members of the community. The first goal was achieved by designing work that integrates sensitively into the welcoming spaces and environmental parameters of the building. We also created forms, surfaces and content that are accessible, engaging, and relevant to the users of the center. The remaining two criteria were driven by our understanding of community as a set of relationships, and the belief that participatory art programs can provide both seeds and tools for growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650006466-HUAURZCMWC1XGYH4BXJF/ripple02.jpg Inheritance Gallery Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. Metaphorically, this work relates to the powerful agency of an individual acting in community, a circumstance in which one person can create surprising and far-reaching effects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650001166-LMDQJSGBUYXY274GR6YM/abstractripple.jpg Inheritance Gallery Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. Ripple Effect uses a principle of physics to propagate an initial twisting movement through a series of connected elements. This produces a rippling wave that travels down the entire length of the corridor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650007138-YJKBC72O6TWIK4F1K9KO/ripplingripple.jpg Inheritance Gallery Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. This sculpture uses two passive infrared motion sensors, one at either end of the installation, each of which is connected to a stepper motor. Waves can be generated from both ends simultaneously, and then pass through each other. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650006625-343PW8XQ8CFLVDSU5UD5/ripple03..jpg Inheritance Gallery Ripple Effect: 3’ x 6’ x 150’ Acrylic fins, steel, aluminum, sensors, controllers and stepper motors :: 2009. The form of Ripple Effect was partly inspired by learning about the massive, shallow inland sea that covered this area in geological history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650006059-CVEIM7LN9SNWPJPYJKN7/ripple+motormount01.jpg Inheritance Gallery Ripple Effect: detail :: 2009. When a sensor is triggered, the response is governed by a controller. This allows us to control the speed and amplitude of the initial torque, to implement a refractory period so that the system does not trigger too often when crowds are present, and to limit the movement so the fins do not hit the ceiling. More construction details. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650004400-2FQ9DTUE5OKSO8JTYZD6/conweb01.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: 6’ 4” x 5’ 9” x 2” Baltic birch and cherry wood ply, Delrin, aluminum, Corian, porcelain with decals, steel and polycarbonate locking mechanism :: 2009. We placed this sculpture in a publicly accessible meeting and waiting area. It was designed to function in three different ways: To be visually intriguing (especially to children), to be an educational game, and to serve as an exhibition site for use by community members. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650003914-UZWDP1ESPDEG3MHD1XG1/connectionwebstraighton.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: 6’ 4” x 5’ 9” x 2” Baltic birch and cherry wood ply, Delrin, aluminum, Corian, porcelain with decals, steel and polycarbonate locking mechanism :: 2009. Connection Web is a display system that is studded with small porcelain tiles illustrating the interdependence of living creatures in an urban ecosystem. Each tile has a coding system on it, and kids can be detectives and find out where each specimen can be found, what it eats and what eats it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650004684-3KCGN13L3ISA3RG185MG/CONWEB02.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: 6’ 4” x 5’ 9” x 2” Baltic birch and cherry wood ply, Delrin, aluminum, Corian, porcelain with decals, steel and polycarbonate locking mechanism :: 2009. The board can be reconfigured to create an opportunity for temporary art shows by classes or community groups – for exhibiting drawings, clay tiles, photographs, quilt squares, short poems and so on. It has a simple locking mechanism for changing displays, and an ample supply of blank pegs for mounting and installing small objects. [More construction details] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650004531-5CHV200SVL6JQ5E8ZCVT/conweb-closeup01.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: detail :: 2009. The style of these drawings is based on the illustrations that might be found in a child’s encyclopedia or nature book. The colors around the outer circle indicate habitat, and the inner circle of dots show whether the plant or animal produces energy from the sun, or is some kind of a consumer – herbivore, carnivore, parasite, cannibal or scavenger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650001902-AILEH863RZ3DZBXJ3LJF/childwithconnectionweb4.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: detail :: 2009. The sturdy construction and easily cleanable materials mean that children can touch and twist the tiles while looking at the intricate drawings on them. The relative scale of the drawings is deliberately shifted, so as not to reinforce typical ideas of which living beings are the most important. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650007369-PKCCXOBFWH3TGBJEPGPU/sampletiles.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: image samples for decal printing :: 2009. The food web that is illustrated in this sculpture includes plants, animals, protists, fungi, people and human food. Shown here are a coyote, tapeworm, worker-termite, head of broccoli, bluegill and vampyrella. All the specimens can be found in or around Swope Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650001452-TAFR6DHVJ0EH0SW3WKBI/cart_for_connection_discs2.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web Storage Cart: 30” x 16” x 20”, Baltic Birch plywood, MDF, wheels, hardware :: 2009. This storage cabinet contains a set of text tiles that are carved with words describing actions that build relationship. We didn’t have any specific ideas about how the text tiles would be used, but thought that they might inspire discussion, or perhaps be used as themes for shows of work. The cabinet also has shelves for storing the food web tiles if they are removed for an installation, extra pegs for mounting work for exhibition, and materials connected to the teaching game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650007919-6ALTAPW1NSJR2A14SD3P/showboard.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web Next Show Board: 18” x 24” x 1” Baltic birch plywood, powder-coated steel, paint and dibond :: 2009. We made this board as a place to find further information about whatever is on the Connection Web. The “Now Showing” sign flips over to read “Next Show”, and flyers and other materials can be attached to the steel plate with magnets. When the food web is on display, the central image contains the information necessary to decipher the codes on each tile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650008746-LUUMFTDPIDFZUN7DC0SN/tilekey3.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: 8” x 8". Clay tile, glaze, decal :: 2009. This is the key for deciphering the food web codes. The colors connected with each of the habitat zones are the same as the ones used on the Map of Probability. This means that once a kid has identified the kind of place where a specimen lives, they can then go and locate an area on the map where they could look for it. The storage box contains a couple of charts for teachers, to help children identify each plant or animal by name from its habitat and dietary relationship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650003958-TYC4N44OD67TEGA61YZ1/connectionwebastool.jpg Inheritance Gallery Connection Web: 6’ 4” x 5’ 9” x 2” Baltic birch and cherry wood ply, Delrin, aluminum, Corian, porcelain with decals, steel and polycarbonate locking mechanism :: 2009. As part of our commitment to the community center, we set up a teaching internship program, in partnership with the Parks Department, that trains students from a local art college to teach classes in a community context. The classes use the facilities located at the center. This image shows student interns reconfiguring the display to exhibit artwork made in classes they taught at the SECC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650009826-T1OVW4J9QVHGCMBT6IRT/videxlocation.jpg Inheritance Gallery Hallway inside the SECC showing location of Video Explorers :: 2009. Similarly to the Connection Web, the Video Explorers installation was designed to function both as a complete artwork and as an exhibition venue for videos made by members of the community. The two players were placed at different heights to appeal more to teens or to younger children. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650009163-NWZJLG7GC7SZJQMPE03Q/video+explorer01.jpg Inheritance Gallery Video Explorers: 1’ 4” x 10” x 3” Baltic birch ply, etched tempered glass, led edge light, solid state media player :: 2009. Each digital video station was supplied by us with silent video loops of natural and urban communities we discovered during our extensive explorations of Swope Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650009374-4Y3HL3MJCVS9S3POKVD1/videoexplorersopening.jpg Inheritance Gallery Video Explorers: 1’ 4” x 10” x 3” Baltic birch ply, etched tempered glass, led edge light, solid state media player :: 2009. The sequences we supplied contain footage from the zoo, sports facilities, nature trails, mounted police stables, family picnics, festivals, park monuments and so on, edited in a way that we hoped would inspire kids and teens to make their own movies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650009657-0BRQCI29PBD7TW45D232/videoexspider.jpg Inheritance Gallery Video Explorers: 1’ 4” x 10” x 3” Baltic birch ply, etched tempered glass, led edge light, solid state media player :: 2009. Each player contains footage that was composed specifically for its intended target audience. One sequence for the younger children, called "Explore", shows footage of unusual locations we discovered while doing research in Swope Park. Still frames at the end of each portion link to the images on the Map of Probability, so that kids can go and look for the places themselves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650001283-J98YR0C13B6TQTF6T6SD/camerasinbox.jpg Inheritance Gallery Cameras and software purchased for the community center for programming with the Video Explorers :: 2009. As part of the long-term development of the project, we purchased six digital video cameras (inexpensive models), flash card storage and editing software, providing tools for a hands-on, continuing class for kids and teens to learn technology skills and explore their surrounding environment. We believe that the linking of public programming to public artwork models a way in which closer, mutually beneficial relationships between artists and their community can be created. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553650010234-MHFTA9XPFF5QQU68KFFN/X-acti_camera.jpg Inheritance Gallery X-acti HD digital video and still camera model :: 2009. Simple editing can be done in the new computer room on site, and flash card storage means that exhibitions of work made by community members can be quickly and easily installed on the Video Explorer units. The Community Center is now also able to use the screens to display footage of their events, award ceremonies and activities, enabling community members to celebrate and share cultural activities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901048939-BV23AJ68MB5B07LGRCZN/conweb-closeup01.jpg Inheritance Gallery - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553901066668-TFKNTZ56VKANYXXVOMB4/inheritance_nar.jpg Inheritance Gallery - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553900984422-M3VENQHRR45YCUR4WFVK/CNCaluminum.JPG Inheritance Gallery - Process https://www.colosser.com/rain-garden-gallery daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654328322-9GZ6HZSSMJF6Q8F8MGQU/volkerbridgegeese709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. View from Volker Boulevard. This beautiful community rain garden stems from former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes’ 10,000 Rain Gardens Initiative. Initially conceived and designed with students in a Persuasive Ecology and Design class taught by Julia Cole and Tyler Galloway, it consists of a 150-foot-long bio-swale and two bowl-shaped gardens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654324090-K5B2S8WYVJPYBSSOAD4X/sitefromvolker.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Site from Volker before the garden. The rain garden is located in a public park, on a slope above Brush Creek, in a spot that is highly visible to passing traffic. The creek has become an urban feature, with the potential to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654318929-MDQ4CBUWCZIXMN7I5YA7/gardenandnelson.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Garden with the Nelson in background. The land on which the garden is located is owned by the Kansas City Parks department, and is part of a mall that leads up to the stately Nelson-Atkins Art Museum. The building can be seen in the background, as can one of Claes Oldenburg’s Shuttlecocks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654315981-PP85LNQ5WOH0CTN9VUUB/conceptdevelopment.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Sketches in development. The design for the garden was deliberately more formal than many wild-flower gardens, to show city residents that native plants could be used in their own gardens in beautiful ways that satisfy many local gardeners' desire for structure. This image shows a series of student sketches and then formal construction drawings made by BNIM architects, who were among the many local businesses that donated time and expertise to make the garden happen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654318176-O6NDAVEGDPMH2H4EATMQ/dighere.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Laying out the garden and beginning digging for the first check dam. A Kansas City construction company contributed to the project by first excavating the compacted soil at the site, and a local green landscaping business donated time, labor, equipment and materials to help shape and plant the garden. The final layout was brought to life by a close collaboration between government agencies, local businesses, community stakeholders and area residents. It was the first large-scale public rain garden built in the city, and required a unique collaboration with the Parks system. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654321083-5BMAY2RIGF4V5I62CL0P/plantingday.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Planting day. Even though the garden could not be planted in the fall semester in which the class was taught, many of the students turned out the following May to help put the hundreds of donated native plants in the soil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654320368-VM488GB2TB5MYNZ7RO0Q/planting+_day_crew.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Group of volunteers who dug and planted the garden. The people in this image were the ones who remained at the end of a long day and were able to see the initial work completed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654327191-QTVLHJMVIVQ4CBH965SV/topdown6.08.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Grasses down the swale. Despite the promise of the creek as a recreational facility it had become an example of how poorly planned urban development can create many complex problems. The widespread replacement of native prairie with impermeable surfaces, run-off water containing particulate and bacterial pollution, and a combined sewage/storm drain infrastructure lead to flooding and waterway contamination during the torrential downpours that often occur in the Midwest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553653906301-QYE68XEYCSU6KDPTEOXH/acrosstopbowl709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Top bowl in full bloom. When it rains in the neighborhood of the rain garden, water runs off from the surrounding turf and gathers in a rocky bowl planted with native grasses and wetland plants, known as a catchment bowl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654315574-1LDQPTUMTGM9X3MIFZBL/closeupdownswale709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Looking down the swale full bloom The catchment bowl is located at the top of a swale, and water then flows downhill in a gently curving path toward a lower rain garden. The placement of rocks in the swale, the contouring of the slope and limestone check dams are all engineered to slow the water down as it flows downhill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654323254-42N843IUN2UM5ZSEHEJY/sitecu6.08clip.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Lower bowl from Volker. Both bowls and the swale have been planted with Missouri native plants such as: button bush, slender mountain mint, purple poppy mallow, cone flowers, blue flag iris, purple beards tongue, rattlesnake master, switch grass, and other species chosen for their ability to withstand both wet and dry conditions in northwest Missouri. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654316444-NOS7JF58DWG917EPL6LG/coneflowers709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Close up showing Echinacea, Iron weed, and Grey Headed Coneflowers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654317200-QYEL4U3FIZ7ZOO4TKL0I/conesmintgrasses709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Close up showing Echinacea and Slender Mountain Mint https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654327425-FN4EO5RVQIT1VYN609EX/topside709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Top of garden from the side. The native plants will thrive because of their deep root system (10-25ft) that allows them to soak up and cleanse rain and floodwater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654317322-X1EJ7A175K9K0M7KJWLU/curvestormy709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Mid garden from the side. Capturing rain where it falls alleviates the stress on the combined sewer system during periods of heavy rain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654323190-GCJH9A6MFEPE8K5CQ0WX/sideviewstormy709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Lower garden from the side. Disrupting surface run-off prevents the overflow of warmed, polluted and untreated water into our creeks and rivers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654329847-2KA2F0MX4DHB2JK0D1OJ/wholesidetrees709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Whole garden from the side. An additional benefit of native plantings is that they provide a rich habitat for a diversity of insects, as well as small mammal and bird species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654321759-7YWL5JVXGLY99P1A4PRS/seedheads.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Seed heads in the winter, frozen creek in the background. Even in the middle of winter, there are still seeds on the native plants to sustain hungry creatures. Leaving the seed heads in place until the spring also adds visual interest in the winter months, and helps the garden produce seedlings to increase the density of native plants and out-compete invasive weeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654324438-5Q0DI91QY6AT0RUMJ2KI/studentonbench.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Granite bench. The granite for the garden benches comes from old city streets, and the limestone slabs in the check dams are from old buildings at the school where the class was taught. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553653904935-7EOWTRFYKXGLHP7667LE/6.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Table with stones and seedballs. The garden was intended from the beginning to be an educational site to teach visitors about storm-water issues and the benefits of native plants. At a gathering held at the garden, guests were offered gifts to take home, including small clay stones with texts carved into them, and clay and compost balls that contain an assortment of native seeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654319167-5ERSYK34WOWIM8RG2EH5/manysmallactions709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Close up text stone – many small actions create larger changes. Cast cement stones were designed and made by one of the students, and many participated in choosing the texts they would bear. They have been set into the ground throughout the rain garden, and explain the purpose and benefits of rain gardens from an ecological perspective, as well as the influence that urban life has had on the natural cycling of water throughout a community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654325578-CN7IXXX450HKA1OAAJ2S/textstonessnow.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Text stones in the snow. These stones are also a means to thank all those who contributed to this community partnership, and this cluster acknowledges all the people and organizations who participated in some way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553653905119-757NRNRHZOKB22Z9AWMT/aboutourgarden709.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Four text stones about the garden. Over time the garden will fill in completely with seedlings, minimizing weeding and maintenance. At that point the text stones will have to be moved into the turf surrounding the garden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654323677-KY5QY3F2UISYBZUR8XH8/stonecasting.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Raingarden :: 2006-present. Stone casting party ad. Students and local community members also collaborate periodically to create small, natural-looking cast stones engraved with educational and poetic texts. The small “message stones” made from high-fired clay then become aesthetic and educational souvenirs for visitors to the garden, and gifts for volunteers who help to maintain the garden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654325403-Y1CKXRN5YARB9ATQ2UAQ/threestonesinbox.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Making stones. The students who designed these hoped that such inspirational ideas and ecological understanding would motivate Kansas City residents towards a cleaner, more beautiful and sustainable future. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654324960-FMVO20HH9WWAAKXG3SJP/teaching.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Julia teaching students about the garden. Each fall the garden becomes an opportunity to teach a new batch of incoming freshmen about the importance of sustainable practices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654327723-3I0ILE4QR41QTLMXQYJP/tylerteaching.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Here Tyler is working with students to create seedballs for future events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654328842-7TKX1A4E41O0SEYZZ5JU/web_intern_flyer.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Intern ad. The garden is fulfilling its goal to be both a source of pleasure and a site for learning in the local community. Events and art installations are now scheduled there regularly, and a student internship provides an opportunity to learn about sustainable practices and community organizing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553653906166-TOVXF0LVG5N0MYP74DM6/amandateaches2.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Intern teaching other students. Interns do everything from working in the garden, to teaching others about it, to organizing events, to communicating with partners and volunteers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654329848-XZRF1YPHVYSEY90246OU/whywedothis.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Students weeding with a clean up crew in the background. This image shows both the problem and its remediation, as young people come to understand how they can invent and implement creative solutions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553653907235-R31RCN9RC6RNDN7F0GOD/brochurefront.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Brochure, outside. This project has thoughtfully developed persuasive materials for community outreach, all researched by Julia and designed by Tyler, with assistance from student design interns. This is a brochure that is used to inform people about the garden and how it was built. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654315389-ALUABOII2RZAJB90NFTB/brochureinside.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Brochure, inside. This material focuses on the problems and solutions addressed by the garden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553653906980-J40OJWZP9ZQ5RJNMOZZM/brochuredispenser3.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Brochures in their dispenser. A student built this container so that visitors to the garden could pick up a brochure if they were interested in finding out more about it. The brochure contains a link to a website where other materials can be accessed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553653906790-VYW8X2A38X0HNMY38TXV/aspaceforclaytendrils.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Students with ceramic art work to place in the garden. The garden has become a site for many different events, celebrations and engagements. In 2010 ceramic artist Misty Gamble taught a class called A Space For Clay that used the rain garden as an installation space. The work was all tailored specifically for the environmental, educational and public nature of the site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654319595-RQ208OAG5QSOGBE6UFKD/octopuslove.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Student admiring some of the artwork installed in garden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654328960-XOXATQ90NSX1UB9VJ0XM/westernauto2.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Sculpture in the garden. This is a model of a landmark building from downtown Kansas City, with its highly visible signage. The student wanted the vegetation to grow up through the edifice as if it were being reclaimed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654320018-UY94QYJ3KKFVLZDEGWZU/pizzaoven.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. One of the students in the class made a pizza oven that was used to make food at the show opening. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654318109-HHAG1JMY2K6RXBHPPN9C/earthfestacrosscreek.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Earth Festival and garden from Volker. A real discovery for this project was that the relationships that grow over the course of a collaborative endeavor often lead to more powerfully productive partnerships. The garden now has a steering committee composed of some of the most active and innovative movers and shakers in the Kansas City environmental movement, and the planning for its long-term maintenance is becoming a model for community-based green initiatives across the region. This image shows an Earth Festival organized by Keep Kansas City Beautiful/Bridging the Gap, at which volunteers from a local business came to do a huge garden clean up. Missouri Master Gardeners also set up a booth to educate visitors about native plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654326436-XYLQET8TYTNJ58WBUWAR/topbowlaftersprint.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Upper bowl in the spring, after weeding and mulching by a 30 person volunteer crew. Such work parties are not only fun and educational, but work that would have taken one person several days to complete happens in just a couple of hours. Often, work parties find all kinds of surprises – toads, praying mantis egg cases, garter snakes, even a nest of baby rabbits. For many kids this has been their first close encounter with such creatures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654324901-7HOMP26EDKWGLIS39XYG/tendrils.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Tendrils issue number six. As part of the outreach to the community we developed this electronic magazine called Tendrils, featuring photos and stories from the rain garden, and news about upcoming events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654321754-NDMGXTXI4UFD1OT4DQZF/seedpacketcover.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Seed Packet front cover. In order to both assist in the long-term maintenance of the garden, and to help others undertake a similar project, we developed an information packet that can be downloaded as a .pdf and printed out. It contains contact information for people, businesses and good resources, links to helpful websites, and information about routine maintenance tasks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654322365-W3DOZJUMF26ECB4XAW8J/seedpacketplantlist.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Seed packet plant list. It also has an illustrated guide to the native plants that are to be found in the garden, as well as the most common invasive weeds that should be swiftly removed to avoid imbalance as the garden develops. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553654322487-9WQEFZ222725EPB6M57V/seedpacketsitemap.jpg Rain Garden Gallery KCAI Brush Creek Community Rain Garden, Kansas City, MO :: 2006-present. Seed packet map of the garden. This customizable diagram of the garden was intended to help future stewards and volunteers plan changes and interventions as the garden adapts to a changing climate and diverse community needs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553900472783-D8QC9NYPBPA0CVNDVA5C/plantingday.jpg Rain Garden Gallery - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553900447406-FL4Y0ENSOVNU5FEDJXBQ/gardenandnelson.jpg Rain Garden Gallery - Narrative https://www.colosser.com/poetry-machine-narrative daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808544439-3679S4Y5QPYVX2SU8RQ5/08cole.jpg Poetry Machine Narrative This sculpture was designed to be portable and self-contained, so that it could be placed in public spaces rather than an art gallery. The booth spent time in locations as diverse as SeaTac International airport, the Seattle Center and the foyer of On The Boards theatre. The idea behind the work is to connect people with their capacity to create new thoughts and metaphors by creating new kinds of language. It assumes that truth is something that is made by people, not discovered in the world, and that tired and familiar ways of saying things can limit the kind of ideas that can be described. This work was funded by a Seattle City Artist Award and an Artist’s Trust GAP Award. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899351757-CF93VD4RMMW8ATFFSJ1P/pmnight_full.jpg Poetry Machine Narrative - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899302875-O1GMVC2H4TCO66TY62UV/08cole.jpg Poetry Machine Narrative - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899364994-B8NSYRPD5UF6IV0948O8/sandingoutside.jpg Poetry Machine Narrative - Process https://www.colosser.com/poetry-machine-gallery daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808300255-ZMAA0JZRLU6B1BUNHOSM/pmnight_full.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This sculpture builds on the ideas begun in a previous interactive work called Songlines, except that the sensors embedded in this structure trigger the production of entire words instead of single phonemes from the English language. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808301278-O6F1PM4USONHI23RET5K/pmnight_interface.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. There are 28 sensor buttons embedded into the inner walls of this aqua resin-coated booth structure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808300976-1L4NMPNFWVH8YNH1TIXG/pmnight_mid2.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. Each sensor triggers a different part of speech - single or plural nouns, adjectives, pronouns, prepositions, present, past and future tense verbs, and so on. The sensors are linked to a set of prerecorded words that correspond to each category. The list is contained in a Max MSP program, so that new words are produced on each subsequent trigger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808298148-D0R0WJHDCCITI52DWUHO/07cole.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. The booth at SeaTac International Airport. The programming includes two modes of interaction. One is the “freeform” poetry produced by simply moving your body around inside the booth and randomly triggering different words. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808298870-QPPUL5YT5I4Z7RXQM8CB/airport1.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. The booth at SeaTac International Airport, close up. In the second programming mode, people can push a “Follow the Poets” button and set in motion a kind of dance machine effect. Visitors follow a light pattern that represents the poems of famous poets parsed into their basic grammatical structure and coded into Max MSP. Upon pushing the button, the program lights up the sensor for the part of speech corresponding to the first word of the model poem, then the second and so on. When each illuminated sensor is touched it uses one of the random library words in the correct category, effectively creating the same grammatical structure as the original poem but with a completely different meaning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808298716-0O4V5O0C2XNZNX4KJEK4/08cole.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. The booth at the Seattle Center. The sites for installing the Poetry Machine were chosen based on the likelihood of a high level of public interaction. They were all places where people would be likely to have some time on their hands and be disposed to explore something new. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808301481-67WSQ847J5N2URPTPJZJ/sc2.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. The booth at the Seattle Center. The Poetry Machine was very popular at this location, especially with children – many of whom would squeeze into the booth together to play with the words. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808299693-5S900HPDIEE9P9PJ8XBN/otb1.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. The booth in the foyer of On the Boards theatre. Although the Poetry Machine was designed to be portable, it was actually much heavier than had been imagined at the outset, and venues with stairs and narrow doorways were quite a challenge to navigate. Any future models would be built with wheels attached! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899351757-CF93VD4RMMW8ATFFSJ1P/pmnight_full.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899302875-O1GMVC2H4TCO66TY62UV/08cole.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899364994-B8NSYRPD5UF6IV0948O8/sandingoutside.jpg Poetry Machine Gallery - Process https://www.colosser.com/sky-funnel-narrative daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1554001493684-1CQ5PZO6OVVTS52EBPHU/sf_nar.jpg Sky Funnel Narrative How did you come to know the sky? By the slow, wondering gaze of a child composing cloud pictures? Or did you seek comfort there when lost or alone, When the blue seemed dense enough to soak up doubt? Is it a bottomless darkness, the mysterious source of our dusty past, Or an insubstantial mantle that sustains another breath? Perhaps you remember the highlights of the first time You saw a sunrise so thrilling you thought your heart would stop. Or maybe Disney did it better? In urban life, we notice the sky Only if it gathers menacing clouds to soak or rattle us, Or sometimes as a stained, fragile membrane Stretched taut between the buildings. But there it is, Every day and every night, Our kin, our constancy, our sounding mark. This work was supported by a Kansas City Avenue of the Arts award. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899846928-00GLT9QPTHF89VFNM2RL/s1.jpg Sky Funnel Narrative - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899778561-9JD91PJDH18SVSXJ34YP/sf_nar.jpg Sky Funnel Narrative - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899823851-5MZ9BK1095PAA3U8UBXP/s10.JPG Sky Funnel Narrative - Process https://www.colosser.com/salmon-cycle-narrative daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811673103-UMDF0HBHZTAMR4KKWSM8/gh_nar.jpg Salmon Cycle Narrative Graham Hill elementary school had been asked to choose between art and music as “extra-curricular” activities, and had chosen music. An active PTA at the school decided to redress the lack by periodically inviting artists to be in residence at the school. We collaborated with ceramic artist Deirdre Daw to create six different artworks that we installed on the school grounds. Since two of us were artist-educators, we decided to implement a program that would integrate with lesson plans throughout the school, and involve every single student in making elements for each component of the work. There was no art room, just a small kiln in a little room off the kitchen. So, we set up shop on the stage and designed a series of mini-classes that would provide materials for the different artworks. We had the teachers bring their classes to the stage at appointed times, and asked parents to come and assist us. We found something for children at every age level to do, even the tiniest pre-kindergarten student, and every child participated on at least three different occasions. When the time came to do the installation work, we had parents and older children come and help us set the work in place. This work was supported by a grant from the Graham Hill PTA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553898867300-U7NQ34MDQRU7QVW19TC8/making_fish.jpg Salmon Cycle Narrative - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553898847875-ORNGZQ8YTSYLR6DO3MEJ/gh_nar.jpg Salmon Cycle Narrative - Narrative https://www.colosser.com/interactive-works-narrative daily 0.75 2020-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553812197295-CR60PNYGS1TCZI85ES21/songlinesstill.jpg Interactive Works Narrative We frequently use interactive interfaces because we prefer art to be an active rather than a passive process, and in a sense the responsiveness is a reward for a viewer who engages. We are often interested in material that asks for some kind of public engagement with ideas. We strategize to create pathways to thought that pass through physical activity, believing that embodied knowledge expands and enriches traditional intellectual processes. We use sensors of one kind or another to trigger a response to the viewer’s presence, and the result may be video projection, sound, light patterns, visual shift or movement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553876730808-BKJKWRO7QGB0ZCG1VKY7/to_be_tub_cu.jpg Interactive Works Narrative - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553876714931-GZSZHYRHUCVA0WTD8182/songlinesstill.jpg Interactive Works Narrative - Narrative https://www.colosser.com/sky-funnel-gallery daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806006504-EOXLGZXYRJWEZT0C5FJ9/s2.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. Sky Funnel in front of Bartle Hall. This sculpture was temporarily installed at the edge of an urban square in downtown Kansas City, and was designed to draw people’s attention to the sky, something that is rarely noticed throughout the course of the day in a city. The sky is our last great commons, and a single searching eyeful can restore a sense of scale and necessity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806005731-PDBEZBMN5IP5K68KAWTP/s1.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. This CAD image from below the funnel shows the interactive part of this project. When a viewer walked beneath the funnel they triggered an ultrasonic distance sensor, activating a sheet of privacy glass, and causing it to change from opaque to transparent. This presented an oculus to the viewer, through which they could look up and observe the changing sky (that was already there all the time). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806008154-9IKZI1G6JQFV9BV8M3PX/s17.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The Sky Funnel had a second, programmed element that changed every day. Up on the roof of the Municipal Auditorium we placed this unit that recorded the color of the sky every six seconds throughout the day. We used a sensor that would record a string of RGB values for each “snapshot” of the sky. Each set of values was then transmitted by radio signal to a microprocessor in the Sky Funnel and stored. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806007076-8AFOYS59KEWNRQNWCXKZ/s13.JPG Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The Sky Funnel in front of Bartle Hall, deep pink. After night fell, the Oopic would send the series of stored RGB values to the array of LEDs built into the walls of the funnel and play back the memory of each day’s shifting sky color. The playback was at a much higher speed, so you could see a whole day over the course of about six minutes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806006649-PKL0J5K0YPKDMQ1DW1MJ/s3.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. Alternating with the color pattern series that represented the actual captured memory of the previous day, was a pre-programmed series that we constructed as the “ideal” sky memory. This image represents the highlights of a trajectory we imagined from perfect sunrise to cartoon sunset. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806007485-PK24TYX41IERN0F3RI9E/s15.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The Sky Funnel in front of Municipal auditorium, violet of sunrise. The beginning of each evening’s light show was determined by the sensors that switch on power to the municipal lights at dusk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806007211-SHFYDV01MOLX787MBTFU/s14.JPG Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The Sky Funnel in front of Municipal Auditorium, the dusky orange right before dark. The greatest challenge with this sculpture was that lightning storms (frequent in a Kansas City summer) would often disrupt the electronics, and we would have to go downtown and reset the program. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553806006957-47AKWWSGTYIV5NQZXWJU/s12.JPG Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The Sky Funnel in front of Municipal Auditorium, the pale blue-white of an overcast noon. The privacy glass oculus still functioned at night, but was more difficult to see because of the significant light pollution in the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807084688-T360PDVFJ4TNM32EIF3Z/s16.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The Sky Funnel in front of office buildings, the deep pink-orange of a sunset streaked with clouds. The presence of so much stray light meant that the subtleties of the sky memory of the previous day often seemed bland in comparison with the hyper-idealized version seen here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899846928-00GLT9QPTHF89VFNM2RL/s1.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899778561-9JD91PJDH18SVSXJ34YP/sf_nar.jpg Sky Funnel Gallery - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899823851-5MZ9BK1095PAA3U8UBXP/s10.JPG Sky Funnel Gallery - Process https://www.colosser.com/salmon-cycle-gallery daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810659205-Q97LRMQU7E5DUF5UZ91X/GrahamHillSign.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle :: 2004. This outdoor art installation resulted from a residency at Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle WA and was a collaboration between Julia Cole, Deirdre Daw and Leigh Rosser. The materials were primarily high-fire ceramic tiles and mosaics, and water-jet cut and powder-coated steel. The installation included six different projects that were related to the salmon life cycle. Salmon are important in the ecology of the Pacific Northwest, and the school had recently installed a tank in the school entryway that grew salmon hatchlings into larger fish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810657678-9HCZD92BL7MX2OECN2LT/finishedmural.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Tide Pool Mural, high fire ceramic and glass, 12’ x 5’ x 1”:: 2004. Students at all levels created the creatures, rocks, vegetation, water elements, and diatom border for this tide pool mosaic. We brought the parts together into a final composition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810655726-5V2VJ8NS1T7HOZPK8TRN/closeupmiddle.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Tide Pool Mural, high fire ceramic and glass, detail :: 2004. Close up in the center of the mural showing anemones, barnacles and bivalves, seaweeds, various fish, octopus, and marbled water tiles. The youngest children made the water tiles by mixing two colors of clay together, rolling out sausages and then slicing them up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810663176-UUEMKR4B8JD41X5EDEVI/muraledge2.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Tide Pool Mural, high fire ceramic and glass, detail :: 2004. Mural edge close up showing the diatom border. This part of the installation focused on the saltwater phase of the salmon life cycle. We chose a tide pool because so many of the species are ones that students could encounter easily on a trip to the shore. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810664734-89YK1YGBKJT58IF4KROY/octopusschool.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Octopus school, high fire ceramic, approximately 6’ x 12’ x 1“ :: 2004. The kids who made these octopi could not believe how great they looked when they were done. We had thought we would just use a couple of the octopi in the tide pool, but these were all so amazing that we had to install a couple of octopus schools in the stairwell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810664944-BCVANG54M6LMNZ29ALHA/octopusschool2.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Octopus school, high fire ceramic, approximately 2’ x 12’ x 1“ :: 2004. Octopus circle. The expressions on the “faces” of the octopi were quite varied and engaging. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810670223-FM3HQ1GVSOD2G30WXSYM/threeoctopi.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Octopus school, high fire ceramic, approximately 3’ x 3’ x 1“ :: 2004. Three octopi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810664078-42TS3VRYA4QN0H7OIBA1/octopi_cu2.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Octopus school, high fire ceramic, approximately 12” x 6” x 1“ :: 2004. Single octopus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810669461-3IPUUYCU9EOTNBHJWALW/sidewaysoctopus.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Octopus school, high fire ceramic, approximately 12” x 6” x 1“ :: 2004. Single octopus. This one may look a little surprised because it has nine legs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810665993-B4TCGD99HUWAVU8CBWOP/pelican.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Shore birds, water jet cut steel, powder coating, approximately 24” x 30” x 1” :: 2004. Pelican. Leigh worked with children in one class to design simple silhouette shapes of seashore birds. The students chose the birds they liked the best. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810657745-XTPIGUVUYI2FE1JPH1QD/duck.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Shore birds, water jet cut steel, powder coating, approximately 24” x 24” x 1” :: 2004. Duck. We mounted the bird silhouettes on the rusty old chain link fence around the schoolyard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810659584-1UA2ZMG156PZ403N4GWA/hawk.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Shore birds, water jet cut steel, powder coating, approximately 18” x 24” x 1” :: 2004. Hawk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810669438-N95GU5V1M8Q5R8PJIB5M/sandpiper.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Shore birds, water jet cut steel, powder coating, approximately 12” x 12” x 1” :: 2004. Sandpiper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810671713-FH9LXFCUP31KS7T60CJ2/twocirclesandcolumns.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Freshwater fisher birds and salmon, water jet cut steel and powder coating, installation :: 2004. Two talking circles with eagle and heron and four salmon finials. One of the parents on the PTA was an architect, and he had donated his time to the school to create this outdoor space for classes to gather. Leigh made the freshwater fisher birds to go on top of the columns, as well as the four leaping salmon finials on the flagpoles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810655945-8PK5GD8O0LC6IKAC3MBO/column4.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Freshwater fisher birds and salmon, water jet cut steel and powder coating, installation, heron is approximately 24” x 36” x 1” :: 2004. Column and circle with heron and salmon. We thought of this whole area as the freshwater phase of the salmon life cycle. We based the materials on studies of this habitat, including salmon predators and prey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810656550-NQZ52WATFT1FA35YLZFB/column10.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Freshwater fisher birds and salmon, water jet cut steel and powder coating, installation, salmon is approximately 6” x 12” x 1” :: 2004. Close up of salmon and heron. During the Grand Opening the poles were used to suspend drawings of salmon made by the students. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810656551-XMLHA6M4G9LMYQB1ZT9F/column13.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Freshwater stream, high fire ceramic tiles and glass, columns are approximately 6 ‘ tall :: 2004. Close up of column and circle. The two concrete columns next to the talking circles became sites for more mosaics. All the creatures and vegetation in the mosaics on these were from the streams where salmon spend part of their lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810655205-JYGDMKW0CFNBL4X0IQTE/column1.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle Freshwater stream, high fire ceramic tiles and glass, detail :: 2004. Close up of a column. Deirdre made text arrows that identified some of the species we had looked at with the students. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810668451-K9QQTJ84E3OYDUOOZ2YQ/salmonandheron.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle Freshwater stream, high fire ceramic tiles and glass, detail :: 2004. Close up of a column. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810671194-JWAPOQXP2QIQITQPBCWW/tilescu.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Freshwater fish tiles, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 4” x 4” x 2 “ :: 2004. Tile insets in the talking circle. A couple of classes made tiles to fit into the small recesses that had been left in the talking circle benches by the builders. These were all imaginative renderings of fresh water fish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810670586-OXKRXXGH7HBP7ZLU8G55/tiles3.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Freshwater fish tiles, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 4” x 4” x 2 “ :: 2004. Tile insets in the talking circle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810670885-MM6RND3WQ06455ZHGWI3/tiles5.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Freshwater fish tiles, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 4” x 4” x 2 “ :: 2004. Tile insets in talking circle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810667053-RA4B7088808ESOS9Y146/poemlinebeginning.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Poem Line, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 6” x 6” x 1” :: 2004. Poem line with sandpiper. We asked a Seattle poet to come in and work with a couple of classes to write a poem about the salmon’s life. Then we broke the poem down into its component letters and the kids made them out of clay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810667926-BMLV5EZJTI8X0I4UGAZI/poemlinemiddle.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Poem Line, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 6” x 6” x 1” :: 2004. Poem line and gulls. Other children made eggs, embryos, hatchlings and grown salmon to float and swim around the text. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810667052-Q41TK436ZXA7NIOR5ANF/poemlineleftend.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Poem Line, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 6” x 6” x 1” :: 2004. Poem line and eagle. The poem allowed the children to imagine the life of the salmon not just as a series of stages of development, but as a part of a larger cycle of life and death in which all living creatures participate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810672331-DDD7OLE0OJAP563J0IJP/whaleandpoem.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Poem Line, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 6” x 6” x 1”, whale is approximately 5’ x 3’ x 1” :: 2004. Whale and poem line. Julia made the whale. It wasn’t really part of the salmon life cycle, but the school really wanted one as a mascot… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810665913-K13Q9CHVERL4MZZPXKB7/poemline.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Poem Line, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 6” x 6” x 1” :: 2004. Poem line. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810668007-BTM72FRPQ55COYI37LK3/poemlineright.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Poem Line, high fire ceramic, each tile approximately 6” x 6” x 1” :: 2004. Poem line whole right end with whale, pelican, hawk, duck, sandpipers on the fence above. We really needed the parents’ help to install this poem wall, but it was a lot of fun working together. Lot’s of people showed up, and we got most of the work installed in a single day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810660590-7AY61E0ZMSNF0HDA7PW9/leigh_teaching.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Leigh teaching. He showed the students how to scan their drawings into a computer, and explained how the birds would be water-jet cut from steel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810658350-PJTATMRY9UYRL3TTY5VH/girlandhawk.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Student with the hawk she worked on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810660882-E0NVOTW3IPRWNMX9W5CH/making_fish.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Boy glazing a salmon. The younger children worked on a different project each time they came, but older ones would come back and glaze something they made in a previous session. This allowed them to see more complex projects through to completion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810658647-BXEELUNFLYHKH3J5T4D0/glazed_fish.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Eggs and developing salmon, glazed but not fired. These are the elements that were mounted on the wall around the poem line. The process of egg hatch and development of the young fish had particular relevance to the students because of the fish tank in their entry hall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810660676-WYDMX0FQJKPWLQAPRTQN/making_diatomborder.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Making the diatom border. The kids really like the pictures of diatoms, and enjoyed the simple process of scratching through the glaze to draw their abstract shapes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810661017-AZHTQC4MNN1WW8NJX199/making_octopus.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Making an octopus. We would draw first with the kids, showing them how to make the basic shapes for the different kinds of fish, anemones, crabs, shells, starfish, seaweeds and so on. As we drew, we would pass around things we had gathered on the shore, and talk about life in a tide pool and how salmon spend part of their lives in the ocean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810661331-3W8HZNB1JP1IGXMV1DP1/making_tiles.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Making tiles. This student is working on making a letter tile for the poem wall. Deirdre and Julia prepared the slabs of clay for the tiles, and then the children either cut designs into these or applied coil shapes to their surface. They then glazed either the positive or negative space around the letterform, rendering them legible from a distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810661252-E6GGVIW3PTJ8AVTW0X9L/making_octopus2.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Making another octopus. We were astonished at how few hand-eye coordination skills most of the students had (some had never learned to use scissors), and at the level of low self-esteem among the older kids. Even in the short span of our engagement with these students, we were able to see how much difference this program made, generating a joyful sense of achievement and ownership. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810661518-CL1IG1H3AKHKLHUQAQ9B/making.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Focused making. While there were some discipline issues in the first classes, we found that as the children grew more confident in their abilities and invested in the project, they would focus their energy in a much more productive way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810660286-V2HSESPAVYT3NDHJ0V3N/kidswithbeginningmural.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Kids looking at the mural in the process of composition. We worked on the stage, and even after the classes were over students would come by to see how the project was progressing and point out the elements that they had made to their friends. After we left the school, we heard that the premises had been tagged, but the artwork had not been touched, and we think this is because the community felt that they really owned the work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553810673014-ON968I1ZJ4QC827IYLQH/whaleinprogress.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery Graham Hill Elementary School, Seattle, WA – Salmon cycle: Teaching component :: 2004. Whale with stain before firing and glazing, When we made elements for the installation ourselves, we tried to do so where the students and teachers could watch the process. We think it is empowering to witness the skills of project management in action, and also to understand how making something special requires vision, commitment, experimentation and time spent alone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553898867300-U7NQ34MDQRU7QVW19TC8/making_fish.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553898847875-ORNGZQ8YTSYLR6DO3MEJ/gh_nar.jpg Salmon Cycle Gallery - Narrative https://www.colosser.com/interactive-works-gallery daily 0.75 2020-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811855602-VDN237KG1R9OT9HKO8V6/17rosser.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Now You See It: 5’ x 18” x 2’. Optical sensor, microprocessor, servo motor, tongue depressors, particle board, video camera & display, Stranger exhibit at the CMA Gallery, Seattle WA :: 2003. This interactive sculpture uses simple technology and materials to play on the viewer’s curiosity to explore the source of light emanating from a hole in the top of a pedestal. The closer the viewer comes to the hole, the more the arm extends, lowering a piece of square, opaque plastic to cover it. The faster the viewer approaches, the faster the arm slaps the plastic over the hole. If, however, the visitor waits for 4 or 5 seconds, the arm will lift to reveal that the light emitting from the hole actually comes from a miniature TV screen. A tiny surveillance camera equipped with infrared lighting is angled so that the patient participant can see an image of their own feet projected on the screen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811855534-U6LRUZ1Z6QJX3C7LEN4R/16rosser.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Mirror time: 8’ x 5’ x 3’. Two-way mirror, camera, Tivo, video monitor, sensors, control & feedback system, plywood & gypsum board construction. Part of an exhibit of responsive environments at the Fischer Gallery, Cornish College for the Arts, Seattle, WA:: 2003. What at first glance appears to be a mirror on a wall catches the viewer by surprise. As they get closer to the mirror, the reflection (which is actually a video image routed through a Tivo) becomes increasingly delayed. Ultimately, within 18”of the mirror there is a 3 second delay, permitting a viewer to turn completely around and then see the back of their own head. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811856698-MPXXAU5APC8WG1EHZNCZ/hand_to_hand.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Hand to Hand: Site-specific video and interactive game composite of six images displayed on a 5' x 10' screen. (Collaboration with Timea Tihanyi. Photo Sandor Kovacs), The Hub, University of Washington, Seattle, WA :: 2002. This 6-channel video focuses on the interactions between people in the Student Union dining area at the University of Washington, and a text inlaid into the floor there that addresses interconnection: "As the spokes of a wheel are connected to the hub, so all things are connected to life". During the performance of the video, game pieces inscribed with the words “give”, “share” and “hold” were handed out, along with a simple set of rules to keep them in motion throughout the space. These tokens reflect those used in parts of the video footage to illustrate transactions involving food, relationship, employment and so on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811965751-PB5C8JL37G76WWF0O3PR/songlinesstill.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Songlines: 32” x 10’ x 8’ Ceramic, steel, photosensors, heat lamps, sound (56 phonemes of the English language), CMA Gallery, Seattle, WA :: 2003. This sculpture grew out of a proposition that new kinds of language might be needed in order to be able to think new ideas. By moving a hand over the landscapes, the visitor can find routes to make familiar words, or explore ways to create entirely new ones. The title refers to the way that aboriginal people in Australia map their geography through embodied language. When they journey across the land they reenact the landscape by singing every feature as they travel through it. The sculpture is composed of large clay “tiles” that sit on top of ceramic boxes, all of which rest on a steel frame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811857108-YJ3KYZXE0UOMY93BTPDM/songlines_cu_white2.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Songlines: detail, Ceramic, steel, photosensors, heat lamps, sound (56 phonemes of the English language), CMA Gallery, Seattle, WA :: 2003. The textured “landscape” surfaces of the tiles are studded with small infrared photo-sensors, and the room is lit with heat lamps. This means that when a person moves their hand across the sensor, their shadow triggers a response. There are 56 sensors in total, each one of which is linked to a different phoneme (or basic voice sound like “sh” “ch” “a” “oo” and “k”) that we use to speak the English language. The sensors are connected to microprocessors, and these are routed to a computer that plays back pre-recorded sound files. When the sculpture is exhibited, groups of people gather to play it like a collaborative musical instrument. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811858150-XWEX7AZ572XLA8Z53F41/wharf_exchange1.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Exchange: Still from video documentation of a performance at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA :: 2000. This performance was prompted by the history of the San Francisco Bay as a seasonal feeding and breeding ground for millions of migrating birds. The site where Fisherman’s Wharf is now located was formerly a marsh teeming with flocks of birds from distant lands, all participating in a tightly woven set of reciprocal relationships with the habitat and all its other life forms. The birds have now been replaced by gaggles of tourists, arriving seasonally and participating in an equally complex set of relationships, now economic rather than ecological in nature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811858368-28W1LN29ZTRENWZ9G5OG/wharf_exchange2.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Exchange: Still from video documentation of a performance at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA :: 2000. Tourists were asked if they would be willing to give us something from their pocket or handbag. In return, they received a baitfish from the San Francisco Bay, and a souvenir trinket from the Wharf. The performance became a series of conversations about value. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811858229-4GLS1NB8YEP26KDD63LU/to_be_tub.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Ablution 20” x 20” x 40”, Galvanized washing tub, water heater, soap suds, towel, photo sensor, video, sound :: 2002. Visitors drawn to the water by its warmth and fragrant suds, trigger a video loop that is projected onto its surface. This only happens if they put a hand inside the tub, and is a reward of a kind for their willingness to engage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811857844-KFYV2BYRMASUEVCPRKRR/to_be_tub_cu.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Ablution 20” x 20” x 40”, Galvanized washing tub, water heater, soap suds, towel, photo sensor, video, sound :: 2002. The image is of one pair of hands tenderly washing text off the palms of another. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811855855-S6D1A4LLXE19Y0K0W5WQ/crisdavidross.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Composite: eight uniformed people, four miniature security cameras, eight LED lanterns, four video mixers, four projectors, plywood and scrim projection booth, microphones, speakers, computer with custom sound mixing software (Collaboration with Timea Tihanyi, Cris Ewing and Josh Parmenter, performers Eli Rosenblatt, Kris Lyons, Julie Johnson and Peter Mundwiler) Meany Theatre lobby, Seattle, WA :: 2002. Video still of Cris Ewing collecting a sound sample from conference speaker David Ross. This was an interactive video performance commissioned for an “Experiments in Art and Technology” reunion. The process of collaborative composition included a sound component, in which voice samples were collected in real time from the audience and modified electronically to build a musical score for the event. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811856009-DEAAEOORS8C29AK5OV6Q/eat_performance3.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Composite: eight uniformed people, four miniature security cameras, eight LED lanterns, four video mixers, four projectors, plywood and scrim projection booth, microphones, speakers, computer with custom sound mixing software (Collaboration with Timea Tihanyi, Cris Ewing and Josh Parmenter, performers Eli Rosenblatt, Kris Lyons, Julie Johnson and Peter Mundwiler) Meany Theatre lobby, Seattle, WA :: 2002. Video still of an audience member interacting with performer Julie Johnson. The performers, wearing small security cameras attached to different parts of their bodies, invited guests to become part of a composite body. We offered a playful allusion to explorations undertaken during the era of EAT, regarding the dynamic, fluid relationships between artist, audience and artwork. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811856392-DZ0ONPWZ1V19H50R98S4/eliside.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Composite: eight uniformed people, four miniature security cameras, eight LED lanterns, four video mixers, four projectors, plywood and scrim projection booth, microphones, speakers, computer with custom sound mixing software (Collaboration with Timea Tihanyi, Cris Ewing and Josh Parmenter, performers Eli Rosenblatt, Kris Lyons, Julie Johnson and Peter Mundwiler) Meany Theatre lobby, Seattle, WA:: 2002. Video still of an audience member interacting with performer Eli Rosenblatt. By mixing between live and pre-recorded footage, body segments of the collaborating artists and performers were virtually and literally displaced by the equivalent segments of participating audience members. By using surveillance technology in a transparent rather than covert manner, we intended to draw a connection between intimate and collective creative experience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553811857769-RGYECWCX5P8TLPK5RXVV/team_comp-lrg.jpg Interactive Works Gallery Team Composite:: 2002. Team poster of the four collaborators and four performers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553876730808-BKJKWRO7QGB0ZCG1VKY7/to_be_tub_cu.jpg Interactive Works Gallery - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553876714931-GZSZHYRHUCVA0WTD8182/songlinesstill.jpg Interactive Works Gallery - Narrative https://www.colosser.com/poetry-machine-process daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808646368-D9A273BEBDXDEX0UG5UO/cuttingjig2.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This jig was designed to hot-wire cut the edge of each foam layer at the precise angle that had been determined via slicing up a CAD drawing of the final form. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808645676-Y9S31L9LADTQJI0HCC34/channeljig.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This is the base of the jig that was designed to cut channels through the expanded foam layers at accurate intervals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808648080-7I2M3XUMY6FC1NC3VJFJ/makingchannels.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This is the top of the channel jig. It is being used to punch holes through each layer of foam. The channels were necessary for threading the wiring from the sensors to the controls that were placed in the base of the booth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808646738-MWO6KWI83A8UT056B7G0/humblebeginnings.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. When the discs had been cut into rings, they were glued together. We used lengths of piping to align the wiring channels and ensure that each slice was properly stacked on top of the one below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808648522-OSYUD2Y1TEDCZ742QNOR/mesandingoutside.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. Though the edge of each ring was at the correct angle, each cut was a straight line, and so the exterior had to be sanded to create a continuous, smooth curve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808649958-46B7V4E3CAJC5Q5HRM7E/sandingoutside.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. After sanding, several coats of Aqua resin and pearl veil fiberglass were applied to the foam, and this then was sanded smooth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808649666-C18YRH46Z4XBHI62VGK6/resininterior.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. Coating the interior of the booth was a messy job, especially working overhead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808649162-RRHP63L1OOPF4RKYU9OM/opticalsensorled.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This is one of the sensors used for triggering the text files. It is a distance sensor because the initial intention was to have the words play at different speeds, depending on how far away a person’s hand might be. This, however, proved not to be possible with the computer speeds that were available at the time. The LED bulb was the sequence indicator built into each sensor unit for the “Follow the Poets” mode of operation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808645906-BCGGA1CHI7XBJNDGUC1N/boxofsensors.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. These lenses were made by embedding acrylic rods into tubes filled with Aqua resin and then polishing the ends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808647553-VMBS251Q0EPRXJ9TIHCH/lensandsensors.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. A distance sensor was then glued to the back end of each lens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808650488-4EI03HIFE0XSB6DXZ7IM/sevenupsensorboard.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. The wiring from groups of seven sensors was then wired into each control board. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808648985-X1ASH0DK3NIYLM2BRP0B/oopic.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This is the Oopic microprocessor that was used for controlling the sensor inputs and routing them to a Max MSP interface. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808648386-JFJ2DTW5DCEYXU1V6AN0/maxtesting.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This image shows testing sensor inputs with Max MSP output. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553808647767-0J70IY0RNWYYMAFF11T9/leighspeaker.jpg Poetry Machine Process Poetry Machine: 7’ 6” x 4’ x 4’. Expanded foam, Aqua resin, sensors, battery power, microprocessors, computer and sound systems, Seattle, WA :: 2005. This image shows the computer, control systems and motorcycle batteries packed into the base of the booth. Leigh is holding the speaker that was mounted in the ceiling inside the booth. Its blue light illuminated the interior. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899351757-CF93VD4RMMW8ATFFSJ1P/pmnight_full.jpg Poetry Machine Process - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899302875-O1GMVC2H4TCO66TY62UV/08cole.jpg Poetry Machine Process - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899364994-B8NSYRPD5UF6IV0948O8/sandingoutside.jpg Poetry Machine Process - Process https://www.colosser.com/rain-garden-narrative daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553740042455-I6MYLNGW1V30QUPA60YR/gardenandnelson.jpg Rain Garden Narrative This project is an example of the process of integrating social and ecological ideas into our public art. We think of this part of our artistic practice as a tithing of creative energy towards a more thoughtful, engaged and sustainable community. We are mindful of the notion that artists can intervene and leave an installation of some kind that is difficult to maintain, or not fully integrated into the surrounding community. We strive, therefore, to extend the physical object with materials and relationships that ensure that it will be wanted and remain valuable in significant ways over time. This work was funded by the Kansas City Art Institute, private donations, in-kind donations from local businesses and the Parks Department, and countless hours of volunteer time and labor from students, residents and community organizations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553900472783-D8QC9NYPBPA0CVNDVA5C/plantingday.jpg Rain Garden Narrative - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553900447406-FL4Y0ENSOVNU5FEDJXBQ/gardenandnelson.jpg Rain Garden Narrative - Narrative https://www.colosser.com/sky-funnel-process daily 0.75 2019-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807729300-UO3QKF2S5PK5YO2APIQO/controlboxmount.JPG Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. This view is looking up under the Sky Funnel support bracket. This is where the control box and the proximity sensor were mounted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807733143-6WYS20SGRUYW1VYTQR74/skyfun+sensor.jpg Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. This image shows the electronic components of the control box with the sensor attached. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807730124-YX6M2OYP2YVT34NO2JYE/powerbox.JPG Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. This is the power box that was inserted into the bottom of the curved pole. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807730053-6CU9OJFQ62VA41PVG8DW/s5.jpg Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The curves in the pole were made by putting a steel tube through an industrial roller. Here it is being painted prior to installation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807730840-3BXI3LKZC5LRLFPRAHQQ/s6.JPG Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. The metal work for the Sky Funnel was cut and welded for us by A. Zahner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807730843-S3RU5MMKDZ8LFJD6PNCJ/s7.jpg Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. In this image the paint is drying on the support structure prior to assembling the double-walled Funnel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807731888-OG64KONUMD3EUWZSVMFO/s8.JPG Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. This view shows the panel of privacy glass in place, and half of the outside Lexan wall of the Funnel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807731988-H2LP3EY748B7BMDYCHDK/s9.JPG Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. This image shows the inner wall of the Funnel with the lighting tubes in place. These were lightly sandblasted prior to threading the strings of RGB LEDs into them. The double interference layers created by the frosting on the tube walls and the translucent sheets of Lexan that formed the Funnel walls, diffused the light more effectively. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807732269-AZFVNBZX9J6TQ4RA2P9X/s10.JPG Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. Here the Lights are being tested prior to final assembly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807729158-H6MKHWWJOVVGOU9YZ5AB/crane.jpg Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. Installation of the Sky Funnel. We were able to remove a city light pole and use the footing, attachment bolts and power supply for connecting the pole. The Funnel was hoisted into place with a crane. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553807732778-YOJ6AQSDP2U0S3Q958KF/s11.jpg Sky Funnel Process Sky Funnel, downtown Kansas City, MO :: 2006. Installation of the Sky Funnel. Here the four bolts attaching the supporting bracket to the pole are being tightened. Shortly after this the protective wrap was removed from the Lexan and we were able to thread wires and install the electronic controls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899846928-00GLT9QPTHF89VFNM2RL/s1.jpg Sky Funnel Process - Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899778561-9JD91PJDH18SVSXJ34YP/sf_nar.jpg Sky Funnel Process - Narrative https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1553899823851-5MZ9BK1095PAA3U8UBXP/s10.JPG Sky Funnel Process - Process https://www.colosser.com/the-exchange-gallery daily 0.75 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450524718-UOJIPLDGOLAD0A5SL4T4/01mosaic+and+bench+small+best.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. This public art installation on the University of Kansas Edwards campus went through a three-year process of sequential designs, in conjunction with landscape architects from Olsson (click image for link). Its final form includes a stained concrete plaza, a raised platform with glass mosaic, custom bench seating and landscaping elements. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450526875-SH4A3TA81F7OIN48SHIH/02people+on+benches.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The driving idea behind our design was always to provide a welcoming place on the campus green for students, faculty and visitors to relax, work and connect with each other. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450546602-OOVP0R4TJMBUDBIXNISF/03ku+plan+with+site+marked.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The series of initial designs were intended to modify the rectilinear space between the two major building clusters on campus, and to create connecting paths that would encourage the likelihood of encountering people from across the university. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450555810-4JBE7PKY6XGEW8PCD941/04KU+Edwards+campus+snow.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. We also hoped to replace some of the highly maintained expanses of turf with more sustainable native plants, shrubs and trees. Because of the number of classrooms, administrative spaces and corridors that faced onto this quadrangle, we focused on designs that would create interest from both an aerial and ground-level perspective. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450565629-VRH96CUL1PG7EUNHGYMV/06HopewellInteractionSphere.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Initial research into the history and geography of the site revealed a heritage of the indigenous Hopewell trading system, with the campus sitting close to the western boundary of many interconnected territories. Trade usually occurred along rivers and other waterways, and included materials, manufactured goods and culture. See Narrative and Process tabs below for more details. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450564502-EXU3C6HF2EDJ7SRYL2J0/07bz+pattern.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. When we started to make connections between trade networks and the curriculum of the university - both complex systems of initiative, exchange and propagation - we were inspired to base the design of the mosaic on a chemical phenomenon known as the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. See the Narrative section for more details. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450609169-3O7R67THOMQTC9GXYLSW/08close+up+grouted+tile.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The final mosaic was executed in 4mm glass tiles, mounted directly onto a circular, raised concrete pad. The original plan for the pad had been to serve as a kind of stage for performance and presentation, but in the end it became more of a visual focal point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450581596-LXXVHGEWB3IMQAPBIWG3/09Monet+Garden+colors.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. During the consultation process the University had referred us to another public project that the donor had been involved with. This was a garden at a public arboretum that had been planted to recall the impressionist paintings of Claude Monet. We visited the garden and took photographs of the vegetation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450590664-37HDEGF0TD0BMNNL5H2L/10mosaic+cu+1.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. We used the photographs to derive a color palette for the mosaic design. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450600273-NPQPSGE7RS6ZZAFYQWG5/11mosaic+cu+2.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Close up of the grouted mosaic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450608864-9BWRLW0RB8YWYCK3U72O/12mosaic+cu+3.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Close up of the grouted mosaic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450636767-C8YQPTWRTWRMZ1T08QXN/13mosaic+cu+4.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Close up of the grouted mosaic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450621606-EKIZRLL5HBG6R8WI8YLE/14mosaic+cu+5.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Close up of the grouted mosaic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450691566-CVDKAD2VJ4HCRQ4ICSV9/18mosaic+cu+9.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Close up of the grouted mosaic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450676354-8XPZOOPN71PHI64UZG52/19mosaic+cu+10.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Close up of the grouted mosaic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450693319-23O5FVT46QIZ19GA0KKG/20plaza01.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The final design for the plaza reflects our interest in creating a strong visual presentation from overlooking spaces inside the flanking buildings. We chose lavender bushes for the circular bed. Surprisingly, staining of the simple plaza concrete proved to be one of the more challenging parts of the installation because the acid wash preparation and complete drying of the slab was repeatedly undone by heavy rains and landscape contractor accidents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450727141-CF72HP3WYDI54BPHSBI7/21plaza+from+Regnier+steps.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. An important feature of the landscaping included shade trees that would provide a comfortable space to sit during the hottest hours of the afternoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583451938603-CJCL90FN1EOZVZ8OCNOU/sunset+plaza+best.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The benches, whose slats are made from recycled HDPE, are all provided with electrical outlets that visitors can use to charge their laptops and other mobile devices. We hoped to lure some classes to use the plaza as an area for group discussions or individual quiet work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450727007-CJFSILDWE8CLMCCLAAOO/23plaza+night+from+Best.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Because the campus caters to many students who attend classes in the evenings, we provided landscape lighting around the edge of the plaza and the connecting path. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450736769-FA2KAY5A5ZOPJAHCLLNI/24plaza+night+from+Regnier.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. We also used weatherproof led lighting strips attached to the supporting frame. This creates a safe and welcoming island of light. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583450743136-IKFI72FVUH32QRWWJ19C/25plaza+night+at+entrance.jpg The Exchange Gallery The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Close up of the plaza at night, showing the power connection boxes and area lighting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441246920-HIGGEL23BFQJFUK9ZKVL/15mosaic+cu+6+cover.jpg The Exchange Gallery - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441120765-G9BY9FDA1NFTZL3ET9I2/sunset+plaza+best.jpg The Exchange Gallery - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441323123-1JJ7P6H77ZRIXIJ8CIGL/17bench+detail+lighting+strips.jpg The Exchange Gallery - PROCESS https://www.colosser.com/portfolio daily 0.75 2025-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583511265245-0O4FOLOOKBOPIXHDXIMG/13rockpoolrenderingabove.jpg Portfolio - the commons baltimore street alley kansas city mo - 2012 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583513230509-ZDWIHBU7FOT7VBBEPP0K/sampletiles+cropped.jpg Portfolio - inheritance south east community center swope park kansas city mo - 2008 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1574529407772-NMOJDRD3TN7L1OCCP38X/acrosstopbowl709.jpg Portfolio - rain garden brush creek kansas city mo - 2007 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1574529469959-8Y92DGU4Y88VZPCRL5J1/DSCN4475.jpg Portfolio - sky funnel avenue of the arts kansas city mo - 2006 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583514105926-XWAROFZTX9E6CLWID7L7/poetry+machine+airport+crop.jpg Portfolio - poetry machine seattle wa - 2005 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583513320863-OR8R5SME6PJEI1PJXZ7K/g4.jpg Portfolio - salmon cycle graham hill school seattle wa - 2004 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1574529603992-4MFJ2USICJUD6NLNX0O6/songlinesstill.jpg Portfolio - interactive works selected sculpture & performance 2000 - present https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583459694228-KMT93GZ46Z1E3FM5U3QG/09CC+sculpture+from+lift+with+weights.jpg Portfolio - ripple effect coffee creek water resource recovery facility edmond ok - 2018 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583507881568-TIDV6A4L9Z5HDKGLYMXP/sunset+plaza+best.jpg Portfolio - the exchange campus green ku edwards overland park ks - 2014-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/7560beeb-f011-4b59-a12c-03605d7d4113/Portfolio+page+square+small.jpg Portfolio - mutual aid lykins square park kansas city mo - 2024 https://www.colosser.com/the-exchange-process daily 0.75 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452503866-2U2OSZ55J6NG4CCPUS5V/01many+mounds+daytime+aerial.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. When we were first invited to create public artwork for KU Edwards, we inherited an extensive design that had been prepared by Olsson Landscape Architects, who were to be our collaborators on the project. After discovering the history of the Hopewell Exchange system and identifying our goal to create a more exciting and sustainable landscape on the campus green, we began to explore the possibility of grassy mounds and winding pathways, with a central plaza through which all would pass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452502010-7RENDEXFUIFEG4J6ZXX0/02Aerial+mounds+rendering+night.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. This design went through several iterations that included a compelling night view from inside the buildings, by means of lighting installed amid plantings of native grasses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452513494-UQZCTT1UY4FNV549U1HE/03many+mounds+day+drone+view.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The plaza would include seating and shade trees, as well as some kind of mosaic tiling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452509567-01QZIXMHC21MXASRX4QS/04mound+design+ground+level+day.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Not only would the mounds break up a flat plane and create an interesting space for both walking and sitting, but we envisioned that these could be places for audiences to sit during performances or events on the plaza. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452516179-KX0DKCLY0JE6J8RU9QRP/05mound+design+ground+level+night.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Soft and attractive lighting at night would create both welcome and safety. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452704177-ET52NU14O8XBVG50NKZP/06Olsson+plan+mounds.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. As the project progressed it became evident that the budget was more constrained than initially envisioned, and the mound and curving paths design was simplified – while still retaining the central plaza. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452525282-BIY7RHAX6T8H4G4W6UDT/07Drone+photo+Exchange.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Ultimately, as time passed and costs continued to increase, the only aspect of the design that remained was the plaza and shade trees. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452551339-GATK8BA12GNPJOOVMITH/08Exchange+mosaic+digital+design.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The design for the mosaic was hand drawn and then turned into a digital document. This allowed for many sequential color iterations, and created a means for estimating the quantities of tile that would be required. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452551171-4ZG2W8CPSJE7HKB9QEXP/09mosaic+in+studio.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. The mosaic was then assembled in our studio. It was created in pie-shaped wedges that were then assembled together, a process that was facilitated by mounting the tiles upside down on a heavy-duty, sticky, transparent backing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452561710-WF6RUABZEKZ5WYMZNQ7H/10rolling+out+the+mosaic.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. We used a large sonotube to transport the mosaic to the site. The entire sheet of tiles was rolled around the tube, which facilitated lining up the design correctly on the concrete pad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452601045-1OQ05NAZANZDD4ZXENHZ/11taking+the+plastic+off+the+mosaic.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. After the sheet was mortared to the pad and had dried, the plastic backing sheet was removed. The tiles were then cleaned and grouted, cleaned again and sealed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452567626-OT53F7N8MVDNYMHJ6TAV/12bench+frame+detail.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Bench construction began with the assembly of two rails of rolled square steel tubing onto supporting posts. The raw steel was subsequently acid etched and powder coated for weather resistance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452591364-ILD0MZJBANMYUK3ZD115/13drilling+holes.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Holes were then drilled precisely for mounting the bench slats. For easy transportation and installation the support rails had to be segmented and joined on site to make the complete form. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452602527-RNCOGGJ3TVGLQHUF4S88/14closeup+bench+slats.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. A view of the mounted slats from above. The material is recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and the pieces were custom cut on a CNC router in our studio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452618430-S1B58TXNVYK88604Q0UY/15bench+end+and+mosaic.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Detail showing the profile of the end-cap slat. A surprising amount of time was spent refining the shape of the slats so that they were both comfortable and elegant looking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452633181-N54OK2P2U5V103ZU2PJE/16bench+attachments+and+lighting.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Detail of the underside of the bench from the inside curve, showing slat attachments, power stub-up connections, and the lighting strips. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452631733-4Q2OS4R6MZAJ6BRQG26P/17bench+detail+lighting+strips.jpg The Exchange Process The Exchange, KU Edwards, Overland Park, KS :: 2017. Detail of the underside of the bench from the outside curve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441246920-HIGGEL23BFQJFUK9ZKVL/15mosaic+cu+6+cover.jpg The Exchange Process - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441120765-G9BY9FDA1NFTZL3ET9I2/sunset+plaza+best.jpg The Exchange Process - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441323123-1JJ7P6H77ZRIXIJ8CIGL/17bench+detail+lighting+strips.jpg The Exchange Process - PROCESS https://www.colosser.com/home daily 1.0 2020-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1549164938375-355YFDGNNIPVI3TI00MH/ripple02.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583526841982-KUB83YHCT5SSVQY7EL1F/plaza+bench+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583520497299-S3FVP5Y242GD4RTOTQ2I/Coffee+Creek+Ripple+Effect+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583520679913-72NFI1D6XX7UUKOQMB4B/coneflowers+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583521200507-GEQLR0WQRRLHTE64REVP/ghost+birds+flock+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583524292189-JSZ44R4VNM0P4ZU2WIND/sky+funnel+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583524249685-8EL5CI03WI8YTGL2ZE10/poetry+machine+interface+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583525853231-NMTJTNGXZRRS6DSNYTXM/baltimore+rocks+rendering+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583525516324-3H4DL4E7WJW79ZNXT3GX/common+ground+cu+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745882359245-LA7IYO7Q3JFW0SAFBOP3/photo+composite.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583527176840-0OOH01T53ELACZ3MUET7/to_be_tub_square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583525766950-MZLRPJ9CAZGXGFXGW8LB/connection+web+inreaction+square.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583527904519-LTQWNVAMPX39N9HI30R7/mosaic+detail+square.jpg Home https://www.colosser.com/ripple-effect-gallery daily 0.75 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446447745-9PED83HIF720RP7VDVK8/01Coffee+Creek+WRRF+ground+level.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. This installation was a commission to supply artwork for a new, state-of-the-art water reclamation facility in the City of Edmond, Oklahoma. This visionary facility is designed to be a working laboratory that monitors the recovery process, and also an educational site that offers tours to members of the public. The City prides itself on conducting analyses based on value rather than cost, and leads with innovation, sustainability, renewable energy, and public outreach. While Edmond has incorporated such elements into other projects, this Administration/Laboratory building is a “flagship” project for the City–bringing them all together in one facility. Click on the image for information about the facility. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583447265794-8S6LZFWJZSL4VYIMAB0P/02CCWRF+smart+building.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. Because of its focus on water reuse and conservation, the community worked hard to make sure that every aspect of the new building was a model of energy conservation through excellent design. The City’s philosophy of creating not just a public works facility, but a true community asset, can be seen in the care it has taken to make sure that their customers and the general public understand the function, purpose, and importance of the treatment plant. It’s rare to work in a physical space that is so thoughtfully aligned with its purpose, and the site felt like a perfect fit for the concept behind the Ripple Effect sculpture we had been asked to install. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446450814-1NFNM3RXCE536KYS4SB8/03facility+treatment+tanks+side+closer.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek å√Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. These are the aeration basins that provide for oxygenation and mixing of active microorganisms with raw sewage. The recovery process filters out solids and debris. It also removes chemicals such as ammonia, nitrates and phosphorous, and potentially harmful micro-organisms. Currently it the effluent is released into Coffee Creek, and the water from the plant is of higher quality than that already in the stream. The long-term focus is on providing potable water during times of severe drought. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446469840-ZK2NAODHLNRXD89B7BO0/04facility+from+rear+landscaping.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. At the rear of the building (seen here in the construction phase) a covered terrace overlooks the treatment plant. When construction is completed on the infrastructure and all process buildings, this terrace will serve as the starting point for guided tours along an interpretive trail through the entire complex. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583447993845-ZWMAJNYGI73C7CCDCNXM/Coffee+Creek+Ripple+Effect+north+1.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. In addition, the design includes a large observation gallery situated between the labs and the core office area. Here, visitors learn about the reclamation processes, and sustainable water conservation practices in general. The area offers expansive views of lab and control room demonstrations, and this is where our kinetic sculpture is installed. Design of the space and furnishings is by BBN Architects (click image for link). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446475758-03P5Z4KB5JHONZKF3P8P/06CC+sculpture+with+reflection.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. This sculpture is a customized redesign of an element from our previous public art installation called Inheritance (see Portfolio tab). Although the basic design concept did not change, many engineering modifications were required to ensure proper functioning in a significantly different architectural environment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446496997-V7Z04UCB8E0VI928IQ94/07CC+installed+fins+from+below+dusk+2.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. One of the primary features that we needed to accommodate was a sloping ceiling that required a modified bracing system and limited the potential travel of the fins on one side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446500178-5LZHFQHIAYH1OKFKHIAX/08CC+installed+sculpture+long+view+from+below.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. In addition, the total length of the sculpture (60 feet )was much shorter than the 150 foot run of the initial design. This meant that we needed to reconsider the spacing, length and weight distribution of the fins in order to maintain an elegant ripple motion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446510036-RFTL1O7K2EFX56FEK6OF/09CC+sculpture+from+lift+with+weights.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. One of the innovations we implemented to slow the ripple down was to insert different sized weights into the ends of the acrylic fins to compensate for their differing mass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446560685-2NEXL4BLQ3TWLLJEEGTU/10CC+fin+pivot+shaft+assembly.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. The pivot assembly remained similar to the previous assembly except for different bearings and bracing. These changes and the different spacing caused profound alterations in the motion of the fins, and required a lot of fine tuning of the stepper motor’s acceleration curve after installation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446532237-JNECWXMD39WK1BUNSGVL/11CC+motor+assembly+shaft+full+cover+from+below+angle+crop.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. In the previous iteration of this sculpture the control assembly had been mounted mostly on the ceiling, with the stepper motor suspended below it. At Coffee Creek we had to mount the entire assembly on the wall, and discovered that the wall surface and cavity acted like a drum in amplifying the sound of the motor. We were able to resolve the issue by the installation of rubber isolation pads to dampen the noise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583446547692-UZFX4RSAN8D4OCEN9RTF/12Motor_open.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. This is a peek inside the reconfigured control box, showing the passive infra-red sensor mounting, controller and motor. For more details, see the Process tab below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443377241-FDWID0ECQCC63YLF9Z9K/01Coffee+Creek+WRRF+ground+level.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443179662-DS6Q60XRT6AVAD1T0N4V/Coffee+Creek+Ripple+Effect+north+1.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443273286-WZ0O4S8U9KQ9NH2OQAO2/13CC+tightening+fin+connections.jpg Ripple Effect Gallery - PROCESS https://www.colosser.com/ripple-effect-narrative daily 0.75 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583447788382-EP315BOBTFCUSYUT3KIO/05Coffee+Creek+Ripple+Effect.jpg Ripple Effect Narrative Coffee Creek Ripple Effect is a 60-foot long, responsive, kinetic sculpture. When a visitor enters the building and walks underneath the Ripple Effect a sensor triggers a stepper motor, which then torques the first fin. Because the fins are connected together by semi-flexible shafts, the rotation motion is slowly transferred from one fin to the next, causing a wave motion to gradually propagate down the entire length of the sculpture. As with the term ‘ripple effect’, the idea behind the way the sculpture moves is that a single individual can be the cause of significant change. Even a small action can generate an unexpected, coordinated response when it is connected to others in a community. This piece is particularly appropriate for a state-of-the-art water reclamation facility. Clean water is one of the essential elements for life – for humans and other living beings. Today, people impact the environment in many complex ways, and we must understand how the things we do affect rainfall, rivers and underground streams, the ocean, the clouds above our heads… and eventually the water that comes out of our faucets and goes down our drains. The City of Edmond has taken a bold action in building this facility at Coffee Creek, one that will ripple into a more sustainable future. Visitors are encouraged to ask themselves how their own actions could cause waves that will help or hinder life for generations to come. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443377241-FDWID0ECQCC63YLF9Z9K/01Coffee+Creek+WRRF+ground+level.jpg Ripple Effect Narrative - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443179662-DS6Q60XRT6AVAD1T0N4V/Coffee+Creek+Ripple+Effect+north+1.jpg Ripple Effect Narrative - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443273286-WZ0O4S8U9KQ9NH2OQAO2/13CC+tightening+fin+connections.jpg Ripple Effect Narrative - PROCESS https://www.colosser.com/the-exchange-narrative daily 0.75 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583452044700-VAGQ2MATGUYVVGU87148/cropped+narrative+design.jpg The Exchange Narrative When we began researching the land on which the campus was built, we discovered a history of the Hopewell Exchange System. This trade network existed from about 200 BCE to 500 CE, and covered a vast area from the southeast US to southern Canada, with Kansas City marking its most western outpost. The members of the Hopewell Exchange System were not a single indigenous tribe, but many different peoples and settlements that were bonded by their common interest in trade. KU Edwards specializes in preparing its students for advancing their careers. An educational system operates as a knowledge exchange, and involves many of the key ideas of successful trade networks - bridging self-starter initiative and collaboration. The importance of connection to others – of learning about different kinds of knowledge and contributing one’s own – is of paramount importance. As in the Hopewell Exchange System, a resilient network facilitates trade. So, our design evolved out of a wish to foster connection between the students, faculty and visitors to the campus. We wanted our plaza to be welcoming from multiple perspectives, and we designed the seating for casual resting or for dynamic group encounters. We included. a raised platform that could be used for presentations or entertainment, but would give delight when none was present. We encouraged students to linger by providing power outlets for them to recharge in the shade of the growing trees. The design for the mosaic in the center of the plaza was influenced by a chemical phenomenon known as the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. When bromine and an acid are mixed in a container, spontaneous spots of changed color appear on the surface and spread outward in waves. Behind the wave the chemistry reverses, which changes the color back. As waves are generated in pulsing series from different spots in the liquid, the concentric patterns mingle and influence each other in an entrancing effect. This is known as a nonlinear chemical oscillator, and the dynamic mixing of spontaneous (individual) and collaborative actions seemed like a great representation of the patterns we had identified in both trade and education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441246920-HIGGEL23BFQJFUK9ZKVL/15mosaic+cu+6+cover.jpg The Exchange Narrative - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441120765-G9BY9FDA1NFTZL3ET9I2/sunset+plaza+best.jpg The Exchange Narrative - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583441323123-1JJ7P6H77ZRIXIJ8CIGL/17bench+detail+lighting+strips.jpg The Exchange Narrative - PROCESS https://www.colosser.com/ripple-effect-process daily 0.75 2020-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448294771-0TUEDIY1K8KKVTGN5GMJ/01wave+test+set+up.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. Initial studio tests were performed upside down, with the bracing facing the floor rather than the ceiling. These tests used fins made out of MDF to determine initial parameters such as spacing and shape of the sculpture’s elements. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448316062-W92IRDJFRKXSF1FFSUPZ/02test+set+up+crop.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. These are the elements of the controller, driver and motor assembly prior to packaging into a control box. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448307419-OWTE9EZCG0C5JH1F5BXQ/03shaft+and+motor+assembly+front.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. Front side of the same assembly showing where the shaft exits the stepper motor and connects to the sculpture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448314323-Y4ONFGN8GXCWDCGZZSL5/04motor+housing+frame+2.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. This is the structural frame for the control box, welded in our studio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448329755-IDXA27B6W952INRL4U3Z/05MotorMount_installed.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. The internal form has been encased in a rectangular framework and painted. Here it contains the motor and sensor components. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448340771-2GV7VTXXCT1NE8PMD3L7/06MotorMount_installed02.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. This image show the controller, driver and transformer mounted on a removable modular panel, which is then enclosed in the frame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448398217-NFWPTKRWZXD0QAS6PFS1/07CC+serial+ports+cu.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. Close up showing the controller and programming ports. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448351700-KM54FUXFAOTUC7GEBOK9/08CC+sensor+cu+2.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. Close up showing the PIR motion sensor in its field-adjustable mount, angled to focus on visitors as they enter the main door to the observation area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448363937-WCLXM6I329KQG2BOMYP0/09CC+motor+assembly+signal+lights+from+below+2.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. The underside of the control box. The design incorporates diagnostic leds that indicate normal function of each subsystem. These assist with rapid identification of malfunctioning components if the system is not responsive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448382336-BIR9XRZRISIDVU5QCKUM/10ceiling+mounts+crop.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. These are the ceiling mounts that were installed first on site. It was quite challenging with the sloped wood plank ceiling to ensure that vertical and horizontal alignment remained true down the entire length of the sculpture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448393874-NNQ7IFE78J0HWE02ROV3/11CC+hangers+and+braces+installed+from+below.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. Ceiling mounts seen from below. Each support shaft is slotted into a continuous channel installed in the ceiling by the General Contractor. This permitted us to fine-tune the spacing of the fin locations on site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448404077-V9OCW1EIQHKK8V6PLCAB/12lift.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. Using a lift to install the prepared fin and pivot assembly units. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583448408306-Y0FS3RA67ANUM4MA6IDA/13CC+tightening+fin+connections.jpg Ripple Effect Process Coffee Creek Ripple Effect, Water Resource Recovery Facility, Edmond, OK :: 2018. The fins required precise measurements between each unit, and careful torqueing as they were tightened down onto the connecting shaft. The fins then had to be cleaned, connected to the driving motor, and fine-tuned with a series of adjustments to ensure smooth and coordinated function. We returned after the bearings had worn in to make further small adjustments to the motion of the fins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443377241-FDWID0ECQCC63YLF9Z9K/01Coffee+Creek+WRRF+ground+level.jpg Ripple Effect Process - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443179662-DS6Q60XRT6AVAD1T0N4V/Coffee+Creek+Ripple+Effect+north+1.jpg Ripple Effect Process - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1583443273286-WZ0O4S8U9KQ9NH2OQAO2/13CC+tightening+fin+connections.jpg Ripple Effect Process - PROCESS https://www.colosser.com/mutual-aid-gallery daily 0.75 2025-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745873146654-DZX6OGHCRYAPIBX3ONSE/02+concrete+hands+Bomanite.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 We called this installation Mutual Aid to celebrate the way that neighborhoods rise together when everyone pitches in a helping hand as needed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745955911813-88K4QXR3MPUPC08K0F7B/01%2BLykins%2Beast%2Bwall%2Bfrontsml.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 It consists of a circular plaza in the middle of Lykins Square Park, with benches, concrete surface design, and 608 high-fire ceramic tiles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745873274742-XNHZ1Y4X25B7GHGP5NH2/03+Lykins+Sq_Updated+Promenade+Concept_12-20-2020.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 When we joined the project the community was already working with a landscape design firm (Plaid Collaborative Landscape Architects, click image for link), who had already helped to shape the core ideas – to create a welcoming space in the park that would feature the hand prints of neighborhood residents and stakeholders. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745873504975-NDCD6J5K3FBLZREIIFA4/04+Lykins-siteplan_010621.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 The vision evolved over four years of design iterations, community engagement events and a series of implementation phases. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745873785819-L2VN9YN0S0WUWALRJ8VP/05+aerial+finished.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 The open hands reflect the neighborhood’s motto “Neighbors Helping Neighbors”. We liked the way the reaching gesture also suggests the greetings and connections that would later happen at this gathering spot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745873858547-MFGSJFE29DFRQEP1N1NW/06+soccer+crowd2.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Lykins wanted a design that would create a welcoming space for community members to connect, gather for celebrations, watch sports and play with their kids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745873934974-0C7HSG7INW59N4VYDPT5/07+TilesInstalledCloseup01.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 They also wanted it to be colorful to reflect the cultural diversity of the neighborhood, and to last long enough for local kids to revisit as adults and remember their participation in the project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874011517-NOVPOLHSQMM5QSNMIR03/08+palm+print_Rev1.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Using handprints ensured that many individuals would quite literally leave their unique mark on the neighborhood, but also created the opportunity for a series of community engagement events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874059361-YJGNXIQHO18FD8VA7BXA/09+working+at+whittier.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Whittier Elementary School was a major collection site for handprints. These children, and the dedicated staff who help them grow, are the future of the community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874098158-OI2837ZWQP84V1VGGU75/10+kid+print+composite.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Here, Lykins artist Fai Beal is showing children how to ink their hands and press their unique palm print onto card stock for scanning. Fai also collected hand prints from the local youth soccer team, Estrella de Oro, and at several Neighborhood Association/local stakeholder meetings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874141810-YCBAUU6SDJ3W3ELI1H86/11+valentines+day+event.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 We also held a Valentine’s Day event at the Neighborhood Resource Center to invite the participation of other neighborhood residents and their kids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874182127-VFHVBQRFZ6LHZ83ZYCB0/12+pile+of+stickers.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 We made a special edition Valentine sticker to celebrate and promote the project. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874212874-1EPPUXDEPWRO8G7IDHPU/13+event+flyer+english.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 After the final installation was complete, we helped the neighborhood organize a public celebration at the plaza. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874251830-6EMHCSVTK04HL79U3OVI/14+Fai+working+with+kids.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Fai Beal organized art activities with neighborhood kids. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874288164-LJQNX0DA95XOWH3FEFV4/15+popcorn+and+ice+cream.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 The event included popcorn and popsicles, as well as delicious Mexican food from a neighborhood vendor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874325413-LNLK9UWQJ0JHIE12MSHT/16+photo+composite.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 During the celebrations, we took photographs of people next to their hand prints. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874372123-VG0SX1BWT65FYCLBIRFW/17+whittier+and+language+tiles.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Scattered among the palm prints around the plaza, are tiles with “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” written in twelve different languages (Arabic, Burmese, Dari, English, French, Haitian Creole, Karen, Pashto, Somali, Spanish, Swahili and Vietnamese). These celebrate the rich cultural heritage that Lykins proudly represents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745874405408-NDHI3OYX6IHJIDY7C4E6/18+Emily+Alvarez+Rough_Contept_Lykins_Center.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 As part of the community engagement process, we worked with the neighborhood to facilitate a call for artists to paint a mural in the Resource Center. This image shows an initial design sketch submitted by the winning artist, Emily Alvarez (click on image for link to her site). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864257917-19YJD71N3QOJ72JQH08L/gallerysized.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864293784-O4L9VUPL8IE4I4AU1N14/narrativesized.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864337645-BPKJ6VCXSVLV1AY0H802/processsized.jpg Mutual Aid Gallery - PROCESS https://www.colosser.com/mutual-aid-narrative daily 0.75 2025-04-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864257917-19YJD71N3QOJ72JQH08L/gallerysized.jpg Mutual Aid Narrative - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864293784-O4L9VUPL8IE4I4AU1N14/narrativesized.jpg Mutual Aid Narrative - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864337645-BPKJ6VCXSVLV1AY0H802/processsized.jpg Mutual Aid Narrative - PROCESS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745886593858-ITYVCN49E2B0X2X9R5NU/narrative+composite.jpg Mutual Aid Narrative The Lykins neighborhood forms part of the Historic Northeast community of Kansas City, MO. It is an incredibly diverse neighborhood and a tapestry of different cultures – including both long-time residents and people who have resettled in Kansas City from war-torn or impoverished areas in Africa, the Middle East, Central America and the Far East. It also hosts a broad demographic in terms of age, race, financial means and family size. Over time, the Lykins neighborhood accumulated many vacant lots and abandoned buildings. In 2018, it became the master developer for a focused community development project that now spans the neighborhood. The project aimed to reduce blight by upgrading housing, while using tools that keep housing affordable and eliminate displacement of long-term residents. Together with many project partners Lykins gained control of 114 blighted properties in the neighborhood and began gradually converting them into good quality homes. At the same time, the neighborhood association redesigned a central community asset, Lykins Square Park, to offer more amenities for the residents. A brand new Resource Center overlooks the park and offers life-enhancing resources to residents, such as ESL, yoga, business and cooking classes. We started working with the Lykins neighborhood in October of 2020 to help finalize their vision for this park. They wanted it to become a beautiful place to sustain and celebrate a diverse community, and had many ideas and improvements already in place. Lykins adopted the motto ‘Neighbors helping Neighbors’, believing that community members know what they need and are best positioned to make changes from the bottom up. Even a community with limited resources can listen, help each other solve problems, and make their neighborhood a better place for all who live there. Together, over a four-year period, we worked through several different designs, many budget and material constraints, various contractors and changes in community leadership. The final plaza is a testament to the hard work and perseverance that underlie strong community. The theme of open hands suggests the giving and taking that is at the heart of community, and the collection of palm prints quite literally represents the many unique individuals who have come together to shape their neighborhood. We are grateful for the input and assistance from: Staff and stakeholders of the Lykins Neighborhood Association, especially Gail Lozoff and Gregg Lombardi, Diana Graham, Luz Rios, Ricardo Flores, Kelly Allen, Tricia McGhee and Lizette Cerros Valdes Local residents Fai Beal, artist and community volunteer/activist Rick Howell and Plaid Collective - Landscape Designers Dave Boylson, tile setter, and his assistant AJ Whittier Elementary principal (Ms. Layne), staff (especially Talia Zook) and students Estrella de Oro soccer team players, parents and staff Jewish Vocational Services translators and staff Kansas City Parks and City employees Elected local representatives https://www.colosser.com/mutual-aid-process daily 0.75 2025-04-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864257917-19YJD71N3QOJ72JQH08L/gallerysized.jpg Mutual Aid Process - GALLERY https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864293784-O4L9VUPL8IE4I4AU1N14/narrativesized.jpg Mutual Aid Process - NARRATIVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745864337645-BPKJ6VCXSVLV1AY0H802/processsized.jpg Mutual Aid Process - PROCESS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876340824-X8D0OHHAWKUK34M2K4XL/01+hands+shape.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Original designs included an array of tiles set into the plaza surface in the shape of two reaching hands, but we became concerned about long-term weather impacts on floor-mounted tiles (Kansas City has harsh winter temperatures) and so switched to a wall-mount solution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876375646-53T3RMOBGUZ7QPKA8304/02+soccer+crowd+and+texter.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 For the final design, we worked with Kansas City Landscape Architects Plaid Collaborative (Rick Howell), to create a circular central plaza with bench-style concrete seating on its east and west sides that would house the wall-mounted tiles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876407198-SKYY2CBL5RW7O834QCWA/03+breaking+ground+for+plaza.JPG Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Here the ground has been broken for both the plaza and walkways leading up to it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876433060-YBCWH2H11RE13CPZ88LE/04+Plaza+control+joints.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 We chose a ‘dartboard’ pattern for the plaza’s expansion joints. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876471333-IVF9ZYP1G2XODPR1S9NU/05+LSP_Construction+2_7-11-2023.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Because of this, the contractor poured concentric sections of the slab in multiple sessions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876651463-7UZ803HYFZ9A1QYKEODB/06+bench+formwork.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 This shows the formwork in place for the benches surrounding the plaza. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876603780-TLZS6VFI5U8CNMQAV4LF/07+columns+formwork.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Formwork was then built for the short columns separating smaller seating areas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876696052-LH22Z56TFYVE9GTF7KV6/08+plaza+and+walkways+concrete.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Here the final concrete has been poured and cleaned up, for the plaza, benches, columns and walkways. Planting areas seen here will contain native plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876740095-X19KBBOUAFWIGUFIB6PT/09+sitting+in+the+shade.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 The design was shaped by the landscape architects to preserve a mature tree in the center of the park, casting pleasant shade on the plaza in the heat of summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876767754-4G4S9VWW70HGVGI5KT8U/10+Leigh+in+template+hand.JPG Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 For the large ground art, we prepared a hardboard template for each reaching hand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876798674-9BPUP790I0AZ8FO3AWGT/11+HandStencil+Leigh.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 After the slab had cured sufficiently, The templates were assembled and placed on the plaza. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876829681-P69KXHDMDDILJ2GP8P70/12+masking+the+hands.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Then, we painted around the edges of the template with Peel-Tek liquid masking material atlas preservation, and the hardboard templates were removed, leaving a negative space for application of Bomanite Topper www.bomanite.com. Application by Musselman and Hall www.musselmanandhall.com. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876895580-VNGGT3V42XYTYCOI8CJ8/13+CleaningMask+mid+view.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 After the Bomanite cured, the Peel-Tek mask was removed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876929695-KX02J65ZDREC3SQC52CC/14+Logos.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 We worked with a community artist, residents and volunteers to collect almost 600 handprints from people all around the Lykins neighborhood – school children, visitors to the Resource Center, young soccer players, stakeholders, staff and community supporters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745876965924-NE4QF6SMGT04FH068PA3/15+Abril+Adalie.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Parents were asked consent for palm printing their children, and how they would like their child’s name to appear on their tile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745877009659-1GBJ1USO1E44NGHGR3M2/16+Lucas+Newman.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 All the prints collected were digitally scanned, and significant identification details were ‘smudged’ to prevent illicit uses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745877040627-DSEKTB39N451HUIU8KIA/17+last+batch+of+handprint+tiles.JPG Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 The digital files were printed on a modified (Cerprint) Ricoh machine using black ceramic toner on fluxed, high-fire, laminated decal paper. Here a batch of tiles is air-drying overnight after application of decals and prior to firing at 1,550° F. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745877080858-2HVGU0LVO1VUZ8OB3CL8/18+full+layout+with+tile+sets.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 After firing, the tiles were laid out in a final array, attached in groups of ten with tile backing tape, and numbered. This facilitated transportation and final layout for installation on site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c565de2b2cf79b5c17ebcf7/1745877117764-YVWNPZHYXZG61H8SKSM8/19+Tile+installation+east+wall.jpg Mutual Aid Process Mutual Aid, Lykins Square Park, East 8th Street and Norton Ave, Kansas City, MO :: 2024 Tiles used for this installation were freeze-thaw resistant, high-fire porcelain floor tiles (Mosa International) and mounted on the fully cured concrete with Mapei mortar and grout.