 |
| Unfulfilled Dream 6"x32"x7" encaustic, fiber, wire, cotton twine, found metal |
Just about 6 blocks from my house, along the Chicago river, is a huge hole in the ground. It is 76 feet deep and 110 feet wide and is all that is left of the vision of what was to be the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The 2000 foot Spire, designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, was to be an architectural wonder in a city renowned for it's architecture. Ongoing real-estate woes ultimately resulted in the abandonment of the project and the eyesore that remains.
 |
| Unfulfilled Dream A Work in Progress |
"Unfulfilled Dream" is the first in a series of sculptures that consider the impact that water has on Chicago’s urban landscape. With beautiful Lake Michigan outlining the city to the east, the Chicago River that winds its way throughout the city and the many lagoons and waterways, water has indeed had an impact on this city. Water is an element that, among other things, can determine presence of place. It is at once familiar and yet can convey a sense of mystery and the unknown. It can be viewed as restorative and at the same time it can be a formidable force. Water is truly a paradox.
 |
| Unfulfilled Dream detail |
Santiago Calatrava equated his design for the ill-fated Spire to an imaginary smoke spiral rising from a campfire built along the Chicago River by Chicago earliest residents.
Comments
Post a Comment