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Description:
The sculpture features a semi-circular canopy composed of five
interlocking leaf forms which are inspired from desert seed pods.
The sculpture incorporates smooth stones in the bulb-shaped bases
and hand-made glass elements throughout. Polycarbonate orbs
containing computer chips and LED lights appear within the
structure. These interactive LED lights respond to temperature and
light levels.
Funding:
The project was funded through city of
Tempe Capital Improvement Project Percent for Art funds.
Artist biography:
Brower Hatcher
was born in Atlanta. He attended the Vanderbilt University School of
Engineering and received his degree in Industrial Design from Pratt
Institute in New York. He studied sculpture at Saint Martins College
of Art in London with Sir Anthony Caro and William Tucker. He was on
the faculty at Saint Martins for several years and returned to the
United States and joined the faculty of Bennington College where he
taught for 13 years. Hatcher left teaching in 1986 and has since has
built more than 35 public art projects throughout the U.S. Hatcher
is a recipient of three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships,
a Guggenheim Fellowship and an honorary Ph.D. from the State
University of New York. He works at the historic Steel Yard in
Providence, R.I., as the artistic director of Mid-Ocean Studio, Inc.
In addition to his studio in Providence, R.I. he also lives in Block
Island, R.I., and New York City.
Artist statement:
My goal, and that of Mid-Ocean Studio, is to create culturally
relevant 21st century public art projects. Mid-Ocean is a
collaborative group of artists, scientists, fabricators and
technical personnel. Our work reflects an ongoing interest in the
underlying geometry of organisms and living systems. Our works are
typically powder-coated stainless steel ‘cellular matrixes’ built
from computer-designed, multi-layered geometric frameworks. Our
works often contain various combinations of relevant embedded
objects, in this case glass and LED lights. Nature is a strong
inspiration in Mid-Ocean’s work and we continually strive to find
new ways to incorporate aspects of the natural environment into the
work itself.
The Tempe public art program is managed by city
of Tempe Cultural Services staff
with input from the Tempe Municipal Arts Commission, a 15-member,
mayor-appointed advisory board.
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