Artist Background: Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues explore the nexus of art, architecture, and industrial design. Their work has been exhibited at major institutions throughout the world; they have also received numerous honors. Recently, their work became part of the permanent collection of MoMA, and has appeared in a variety of publications worldwide. The partners have taught in the graduate architecture programs at multiple schools.
Composed of nearly 1,000 hand crafted stainless steel spheres that together assume the shape of an abstracted pile or mound, 'Talus Dome' reflects the sky, the weather and the river of cars that pass by it. 'Talus Dome' is both a sculpture in the landscape and a mirror to the landscape. Before the Quesnell bridge was constructed, talus forms of earth occurred naturally along the river valley. The artwork is reminiscent of the landscape that has been altered by the bridge, a rigid, controlled construction that meets our need to traverse the obstacle of the river. It references the coexistence of the man-made and the natural. At the same time, the surface of 'Talus Dome' will take on different colors with the changing seasons and hours of the day. Its visual quality is not static, and therefore creates a balance between its permanence, and its changeable appearance that suggests the mutability of nature.
My Thoughts: Currently the most contentious piece of public art in Edmonton, I, for one, am a big fan of 'Talus Dome'. The best place to see this work is not from the road, where most people have interacted with it, but from the the stairs leading up to the bike trail crossing the Quesnell/ down to Fort Edmonton Park - and the best way to see it is on foot (or just not in a vehicle). I took this posting opportunity to get up close to the work, which from below takes on an entirely different air. From the road you only see the tip of the 'iceberg,' per se. The work appears poised on the edge of the hill - rather than appearing heavy and static, much like you might expect a large amount of stainless steel balls to look, the work appears light, airy, and dynamic. From up close, you can also see the reflection of the landscape in the mirrored surface of the work, which really connects the piece to both the manmade intervention in the landscape through its use of industrial materials, as well as the natural parkland of the river valley through its reflection of it.
Bio courtesy of the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection website
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