Client: Art in State Buildings | University of Florida

Overview

The Bone Series: Biophilia Connections was created as a site-specific, public art project for the stairwell in the brand new Career Connections Center on the University of Florida Gainesville campus commissioned through the Art in State Buildings program. The architectural design of the building was based on the concept of biophilia; the human connection to nature and uses biomorphic forms and patterns, visual and tactile textures and colors and materials derived from nature.

Goals

The Bone Series was chosen for this project to compliment both the biophilic designs used in the construction of the building and the concepts of what the building was actually used for. The space is used to connect job seekers with employers and offering students individualized career education and guidance to enrich their collegiate experience and prepare them for life after graduation. The fibrous structure of bones speak of the internal, of the synapses or connections happening in our bodies and the connections we have to the external. The connected parts create a new larger form that is visually dynamic and conceptually a symbol of our connectivity to each other and the natural world.

Process

This project culminated after a year of proposing ideas and planning. I made two site visits meeting with the architects, staff and students for thoughts on how the space was designed and how they felt working in the space. I proposed this project, providing mock-ups of the potential design and a model of the work and was awarded the contract.