Client: Regional Transportation District_Denver

Location: Denver, CO, United States

Completion date: 2016

Artwork budget: $175,000

Project Team

Artist

Dardinelle Troen

Ditroën, Inc.

Artist

Terry Tebeau

Ditroën, Inc.

Artist

Leslee Dillon

Leslee Dillon at the International House of Copy

Industry Resource

Juno Architectural Glass

Industry Resource

Advanced Metal & Wire Products

Overview

A story arc comprised of creative narratives and simple, geometric design set across seven
stations explores gold’s role as a powerful influencer. The Regional Transportation District
(RTD) commissioned an art installation comprised of 58 glass and metal windscreens
distributed across seven stops and 17 waiting areas on RTD’s new G Line. Depending on the
time of day and the weather, light filters through each panel allowing the eye to pick up different
aspects of the visual and verbal narrative, keeping visitors engaged on multiple levels.

Goals

Lyrical narratives integrated within simple, geometric design evokes a larger story about gold’s
powerful influence and its rarity on Earth. The open, translucent design allows light to pass
through so as not to obscure visibility. Natural light and time of day expose and reveal different
aspects of the narrative, not unlike the happenstance discovery of gold in Ralston Creek back in
1850, which is one of the stops on the G Line. Materials were chosen based on the ability to
stand up to Denver’s harsh climate, possible vandalism and to maintain visibility on both sides
of the panel.

Process

Working with the local community, historical societies and RTD to understand the influences that
lead to growth and development along the line, Ditroën created the design and narratives
around the idea of gold’s literal and metaphorical effect on each community. The initial
discovery of gold in a creek along the G Line, ultimately triggering the Rocky Mountain gold rush
resulting in the settling of the West. Narratives at each stop weave the story of gold’s powerful
role in regional history, mythology, cosmology and science.

Additional Information

Ditroën, Inc. was ideally suited for such a project. Known for using multiple disciplines to create specialized environments, Ditroën strives to connect audiences to spaces in unexpected and relevant ways with interactions that leave long-lasting impressions. Space, color, lighting, sound, material texture and form all become active players in engaging the senses and minds of the audience.