Client: City of Dublin, CA
Location: Dublin, CA, United States
Completion date: 2020
Artwork budget: $54,000
Project Team
Artist
Colin Selig
Project Manager
Shaun Chilkotowsky
The City of Dublin
Overview
Arachnicat is an eco-friendly biomorphic play structure commissioned for Clover Park, in Dublin, California. Standing 6 feet tall with 8 x 10 foot base, this sculpture is made entirely from. Arachnicat has an insect’s body, feline ears and a scorpion’s tail. Incorporated between its legs are three seating surfaces which also serves as steps for kids who want to climb higher.
Goals
PGAdesign Landscape Architects, Oakland, CA, who designed the park, selected a specific site for a commissioned work of art next to a riparian corridor overlooking the junction of a bike trail and walking trails. The City of Dublin wanted a sculpture that was visibly pleasing for both pedestrian and cyclist views at ground level and from the switchback trail and hillside above.
The concept for this sculpture is a creature of unknown species crawling up out of the adjacent creek bed and strip of trees to explore the park. Brightly colored and playful, it’s a focal-point element for the park which appeals to people of all ages and compliments the other amenities while giving the park a unique identity.
Process
A pubic art selection committee comprised of residents and City staff selected Colin Selig’s proposal from among five finalists. With input from The City and an independent conservator, the original design was amended to include longer seats, a lower overall height, and an improved surface coating.
The sculpture was constructed at the artist’s studio by repurposing regionally sourced scrap steel propane tanks which were carefully dissected and reassembled, with no additional reshaping of the material, a process with a minimal carbon footprint which produces durable objects that contain 99% post-consumer reused content. All tank parts were seam welded together to form a very rigid structure with no flat surfaces or pockets for water to collect. To ensure it would be safe for human interaction, all welds and edges were sanded smooth. The sculpture was coated in a quality vermilion poly enamel paint.