Client: City of Scottsdale

Overview

Reflection Rising is a colorful, site-specific public art installation that was suspended above the Arizona Canal at the Scottsdale Waterfront. Stretching over 14,000 square feet, this lightweight kinetic sculpture was made from over 50,000 colorful ripstop nylon and mylar streamers attached to monofilament. Over a period of approximately 4 months, Reflection Rising harnessed wind currents to rise and fall dramatically, highlighting weather patterns that moved through the waterfront. This reference to the natural world was also seen when the sculpture’s vibrant colors emerged in the mirrored surface of the canal to evoke the colors of a sunset.

Goals

Canal Convergence Water Art Light is an annual public art event presented by Scottsdale Public Art at the Scottsdale Waterfront. Each year Scottsdale Public Art seeks proposals for a featured public art installation for Canal Convergence that integrates the themes of water, art, into an engaging, large-scale temporary public art installation. Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics has exhibited his "skynet" art installations all over the world, and in several instances, along or above moving bodies of water. With his portfolio of installations, Shearn had proven his ability to be responsive to the surroundings of a variety of public littoral sites. Commissioned specifically for the Scottsdale Waterfront, Reflection Rising successfully activated the site by taking advantage of the canal architecture and weather patterns to create an expressive, kinetic artwork that consistently brought awe and wonder to locals and visitors alike.

Process

Scottsdale Public Art and Poetic Kinetics collaborated over a period of several months to realize the Reflection Rising installation. Once the concept and design had been finalized and approved by a structural engineer, the installation of this artwork took approximately 10 days. Scottsdale Public Art also engaged Salt River Projects, (SRP), one of Arizona’s largest power providers and the owner of the Arizona Canal system, to provided land and water use permission, and safety, and use of their boat while suspending the artwork over the canal, which is the only powered watercraft allowed in the canals.

Additional Information

The main part of Reflection Rising consisting of the colorful ripstop material was installed November 2017 through the Canal Convergence event ending in March 2018. A second phase of Reflection Rising consisting of shiny mylar material was added just for the two weekend of Canal Convergence.