Client: Salt Lake City Corporation

Overview

Parley's Undercurrent is located in Salt Lake City, Utah at Fire Station #3 on of the first net-zero fire stations in Utah. “Parley’s Undercurrent” is the predominant art sculpture for Fire Station #3. Focusing on the interior with the North facing 2-story windows bringing the outside in and connecting the lobby to the meeting spaces. There are 300, transparent 9” glass disks that will be domed in shape. These disks mount to the wall with industry standard standoffs.

Goals

A minimalist approach gives my work a contemporary feel and illuminates the simple beauty. Glass is a smooth, seductive, and mysterious substance yet at the same time, a very ordinary substance. It can be as common as a wine glass or it can be a treasured work of art. It's part of our world culture. Glassmaking has been estimated to have been around for over 5,000 years. The same piece of glass can appear to be invisible at one moment and opaque another through its display of reflection. Glass is a chameleon of sorts, an illusionist. Right down to the chemical structure of the glass. As a glass artist, the alchemist of the molecular structure of glass instructs the glass to behave in a certain manner. This is where the playground of an artist and science comes together.

Process

Including the community in some way to provide a teaching opportunity to the community giving insights to how the project is fabricated was important for me. Including the science behind the making of glass art. I proposed a community outreach to the firefighters and other stakeholders in the project to participate in making some of the disks to be included in the body of sculpture. The experience with the firefighters was truly amazing, engaging for myself and them. They seemed to take an authentic interest in the process and visiting my studio. Everything went as expected, no major injuries and they completely jumped in ready to create. I wanted to provide a nonjudgemental environment for them to truly express themselves. I hope they enjoyed the time spent together.

Additional Information

There are 300, 9' glass disks individually mounted onto the span of the lobby wall, stairwell wall, and around the corner to the community meeting room. This meandering work bridges the upstairs meeting room and lobby into one cohesive space. 40' x 150' x 4"