Restoration in Public Art
We are slowly becoming more aware of our impact on the environment and how destructive we can be. Not only are we reading about it in books and newspapers and seeing it on the news, but more and more public art is making a statement to create awareness. Thus is so in New York based artist Brian Tolle ’s Stronghold , a new installation on the University of Washington Campus . The sculpture reintroduces the once abundant cedar trees on a now well-tended lawn.
Stronghold can be visited near the Portage Bay Vista on the south end of the UW campus. It provides a new meeting place and view point for students and visitors. Inspired from the history of the Northwest region and the logging of growth forests, Tolle decided to recreate a stump of one of the enormous cedar trees. Originally, the piece was to be constructed out of cast concrete, but with further studies and thought, it was determined that lumber was the better choice. Cedar was chosen for the suitability for the construction process and additionally to prove a point. The selected material is controversial to some, but Tolle believes that the lumber will be used and this application has more substance than a deck or hot tub. Although producing something from nature to recreate it isn’t an eco-friendly procedure, it does make us question our actions. With this piece, it is a reminder to the public every time they pass by it.
Brian Tolle recently gave a lecture about this piece and his past installations at the Henry Art Gallery on April 10,2008. Tolle is recognized mainly for the Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park of Lower Manhattan. This piece draws awareness to the Great Irish Famine that killed millions in Ireland. Also within the work is a tunnel that allows present facts of world hunger to be updated in order for us to understand the current situations around the world.
History is the material in which he uses to make his art as he stated, “I look to history to understand the present.” Other works of his include replicas of stone walls and man-made rock formations. He also tries to recreate historic moments so that the public can enjoy and engage in the experience today. Not all of his projects are directed towards the environment but he does instigate conversations that lead us to look at how we used to live and what we had compared to how much has diminished today. His positive outlook does create a sense of optimism within the public that are able to view his work, empowering us to make a difference with current situations.
Category: Urban Art
About the Author
Morgan Greenseth was born and raised in the Midwest and from early on, she had the taste for adventure and creativity in her blood. At the age of 17 she ventured out west to San Diego, California. Once there, she learned how to surf and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from the Art Institute. She was later hired to work at Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects where she worked on projects such as the La Jolla Country Day School Library. San Diego, however, couldn’t hold her down. A trip to Italy secured her decision to study abroad and she soon moved to Milan, Italy. There she obtained her Masters in Interior and Living Design from Domus Academy and collaborated with students from all over the world. She had work featured in the Made in Italy Museum exposition in Rome, Fuori Salone del Mobile 2007 and also won a competition for the Paris Photo 2007 Focus on Italy design. After a quick visit with family in Texas, she found herself in Seattle, Washington where she currently resides. Morgan now works for Dynamik Space and is enjoying life.View Author Profile
A nicely written article, and a very interesting read.
The cedar tree stump sounds like it makes an interesting statement, but would it not have been more appropriate to have made a “green,” sculpture from say sustainable forests, reclaimed timber etc? I find it a little hard to find the beauty in a piece that fails to address environmental issues from every angle. To preach environmentalism without embracing it, you become merely another “green washer” and the world already has enough of these.