Client: Houston Police Department, City of Houston, TX
Location: Houston, TX, United States
Completion date: 2015
Artwork budget: $55,200
Project Team
Artist
Tara Conley
Client
City of Houston, Houston Police Department
Public Art Agent
Houston Arts Alliance
Overview
In stainless steel, the beautiful yet complex abstracted honeycomb design depicts the unique rapport between police and community, key in establishing a safe and prosperous society. The building blocks here are not like honeycomb hexagons that match up easily in a beehive. Instead, these stainless pairs fit together like a puzzle requiring patience, careful thought and perspective to establish. A challenge law enforcement and citizens strive to meet every day.
Height: 216” Width: 175” Depth: 42”
Goals
The City of Houston and the Houston Police Department made a call for artists versus a call for proposals before the facility plans were revealed. Once chosen for the project on this LEED building, the architecture firm and the Houston Arts Alliance explained that it was imperative the outdoor sculpture not interfere with the design of the building but instead compliment the integrity of the building, it’s inhabitants and the community.
Process
To represent citizens and officers who protect and serve while honoring the building design and aesthetic there was a great collaboration between the interested parties and me. I met with the architects, the builder, numerous police officers, community members and the Houston Arts Alliance on several occasions from start to finish to be sure all those involved were respected and represented.
Riding along with an officer during a shift, visiting other HPD stations and collecting stories from officers and citizens I was fascinated by the diversity of culture and perspective. The architects, builders and planners remained accessible for questions and feedback throughout my design process.
Additional Information
In the first segment of this project, I created interior sculptures so that indoors and out the citizens, visitors and officers would all experience artwork. In the lobby, steel and stained glass portray the strength and diversity within the interconnected enclaves that comprise District 17. Hanging throughout the station are thirty-three cast bronze phrases from my text collection. Wise, witty, introspective and challenging, the pieces hang a few inches from the wall creating a shadow, like the echo of a voice once heard.