Located in the RINO arts district in Denver, CO. This banger of a project saw a wide variety of materials going in. It was the first time I worked with custom neon lighting and the first time I had wire sculptures as part of my work.
Each material presented their own challenges. The painting and drawing on the wall as a centerpiece we’re easily excitable. But because they’re flat and the green wall (preserved moss) was about 4 inches off the wall- I was concerned about the art not merging well.
The solution was to extract the line drawings into wire and have that run throughout the piece. It produced an incredible depth and at times a trick of the eye- as it was hard to tell what was wire and drawing.
I pretty much love the wire sculpture. But making it was no short order. Bending this amount of wire into detailed, layered and complex topographic shapes was like a wrestling match against metal. I fortunately had a very talented sculptor assist me, Asli Uludag. She was essential in the creation and worked tirelessly to make the sculpture happen. Check her work here!
The neon light was another challenge. Fabricated in Taiwan, it was a challenge to make sure the light looked good when lit up or off. I used a decent amount of negative space in the piece to accommodate for the white of the neon when not lit. It’s also mounted on clear, laser cut plexiglass, which makes it feel pretty seamless. Interestingly enough, the composition of the piece looks better with the neon off but the wow factor is through the roof with the neon on. It’s actually a bit hard to photograph but the piece looks phenomenal in the night time.
The preserved moss was a compromise from the original plan of a green wall.. but a much needed one. Green walls need maintenance and can get a bit complex with watering. This moss is basically painting with preserved plants because you can custom cut and adjust however you need the panels. It’s imported from a Korean company, really awesome.
