Client: LAND Studio and the Cleveland Water Department

Overview

The artwork transforms two empty residential lots … • 12′ x 18′ x 135′ • Painted galvanized steel, stainless steel • R.J. Tayor Park, Cleveland, OH • Commissioned by LAND Studio and the Cleveland Water Department. The mixed residential and industrial neighborhood of Nottingham is not a site one generally associates with public art. The lack of a traditional context, the artwork’s reference to Cleveland’s Division of Water, and the importance of providing an amenity for the neighborhood, make this a particularly challenging and exciting endeavor.
While developing my proposal, I immediately set out to create a site that would be a pocket park and a gateway to R.J. Taylor Park, as well as a link between Nottingham and its adjacent neighborhoods. As in previous works, I sought to augment and activate existing elements of the site and make the site itself an essential element of the work. All of these elements combine to create a kind of urban earthwork that is playful, seductive, and as entertaining as it is functional.

Goals

Coo Lot with Plum Pipes transforms two empty residential lots by creating a new jaunty entrance to R.J. Taylor Park and a spot for neighbors to saunter, meet, and gather. Referencing the nearby Nottingham Water Treatment Plant, the artwork is a 135-foot labyrinthine of water pipes with a swaying bench,
horizontal pipes that provide bench-like seating, and light that spills out of the vertical pipes like water to illuminate the path and trees at night.

Process

John Grant (Public Art Services) provided design development and fabrication services for the structure and installation. Nick Geurts (Yetiweurks) provided design and structural engineering services.

Additional Information

I use materials from the everyday outdoor environment—anything from benches, to swings, to canopies, to water—& bring them into the realm of art. I create a level of connection to the familiar while highlighting elements of awe & beguilement, often using existing artifacts from the site and retrofitting them to create a micro public square or landmark that encourages creative patterns of use. The artwork becomes part of the community's fabric & integral in shaping the way we live in public space. The idea is to surprise while fostering a sense of community around an unlikely object or site.