Client: City of Bellingham

Overview

A witty and whimsical reference to Bellingham’s founders (William Bellingham and George Vancouver), these two free-standing characters reprise the famous Jelly Baby form and characterization seen in our previous Odd Jelly Out installation (2017-19). Posed as if in playful dialogue with each other, they are immediately relatable by virtue of their human attributes and innocent, joyous personalities. While the relative small and large scale of the figures is designed to reflect and attract adults and children, both exploit stance, color, detail and gesture to elicit a sense of curiosity, emotional response and physical interaction. Passersby are invited to enter their intimate space and engage via touch, embrace and imaginary conversation.

50in (H) x 32in (W) x 32in (D) (Billy); 32in (H) x 20in (W) x 20in (D) (George). Each form comprises a hand molded, sealed fiberglass shell with a brilliant white polyester resin decorative skin. Within this white skin are embedded thousands of hand cast, highly-colored, translucent resin cylinders. These cylinders create a dazzling effect – small, three-dimensional ‘pools’ of color glow and shimmer in the sunlight. This skin is then sanded multiple times to render an ultra-smooth and highly tactile finish.

Goals

This was a site-specific project, designed with both the city's history in mind and the function of the space (child's playground and community park).

Additional Information

Installed in Harriet Spanel Park, Bellingham WA