Concept 1:
South Grand Geode
Leland Drexler Russell
Description of Art Installation:
South Grand is a vibrant place and this park should be a manifestation of its vibrancy. The South Grand Geode turns Ritz Park into an oasis. It consists of 3 woven wire arches that shade the benches in Ritz Park. The exterior of the structures will have a green roof with flowering vines growing up its trellised outer structure. The interior will have an interactive crystalline mirror structures that will create a giant kaleidoscope that glows at night. The sculpture will utilize overhead space to create playful organic shapes that draw your eye from a distance and protect you from the elements, while juxtaposing the concrete forms. Using the overhead space will maintain the sight line of the stage while allowing freedom to create an enveloping installation. A shade element will protect participants from sun and rain and expand the usable hours of the space. Well placed light on the ground and in the sculpture will create a warm inviting glow drawing visitor to the space. Interactive components such as motion activated light sculptures on the ground and dynamic lighting overhead will bring added life to the park and the block.
About the Artist: Leland Drexler Russell
My highest goal as an artist is to imbue the world around me with a sense of mystique and enchantment. I thirst for a sense of wonder that can be missing in a setting punctuated by strip malls and sprawl. My favorite projects offer a dynamic framework designed to allow each participant to be uniquely enveloped by their own imaginative world. I mostly work on public interactive installations that create a sense of wonder for a community. I come from an architectural background though I have found creating intriguing experience to be far more satisfying. Currently my inspiration comes from the amazingly diverse flora and fauna found on our earth and speculative astrobiology of faraway worlds.
