“Secluded  Cars In The Distant Outer Zagged Circle, Not Inner Ring Maze Puzzle, Raindrops, Pain And Good In The World. Friend, Amigo, Ban, In My Head, Seasons, Negotiating Over Space And Territory. Nice Buildings, Isaiah, Boy, Girl, Police, The Crown Is  Singing, I Am The Entertainment Capital Thang. For Myself And Society, Wealth, Health, Prosperity, Home And Peace”

2022

20’ tall sculpture. sited in the public plaza along 6th st, in front of the new CMPD headquarters and opposite the entrance to Elmwood Cemetery. 

The project is symbolic of the close collaboration with police officers, community members and participants from the Urban Ministry Center in 2018. Faces of those who participated in our workshops were 3d captured through photogrammetry. From these various groups, 3d scans of participants were chosen at random to be featured in the sculpture, giving tribute to the diverse cross-section of those who define the community. The artwork does not celebrate those of power, prestige or any other accomplishment, other than being a member of the community.

The base form of the sculpture came from the idea of a “Queen” chess piece, emblematic of the City’s distinction as the “Queen City”. From there we used faces of the community to “Carve into” that base form, refining the symmetrical representation  into a nuanced and organic shape that reveals itself differently in almost every type of condition, from one’s point of view to the time of day and weather conditions. When a face was “carved into” the base form it was done so in reverse, allowing for the “Hollow Face” illusion to take effect, allowing an effect where a face continually follows one as they move around it. We have used this in other sculptures but never in wire. Due to the transparency in seeing between the wire, one is able to perceive both the positive and negative face shapes. This creates an effect that photos do not accurately represent, providing passers-by a unique experience from those they may see in print or social media.

The sculpture is made entirely of 316 Stainless Steel. The outer “shell” of the sculpture is made from 2,700 custom bent pieces of ⅛” SS rod. It was a monumental task and one without precedent to learn from. Many tools were created in order to achieve this, as well as a broad team of people who helped make this a reality.