Client: Hinsdale Public Library

Overview

Circuit, 2015, is constructed of wood and perforated stainless steel (18’ wide x 7’ high x 8’ deep). It is suspended in the atrium reading space at the Hinsdale Public Library, Hinsdale, Illinois.

The idea for the sculpture developed from the relationship of the library to the train station and the importance of the underground railway in the history and identity of the town. Both infer expansive movement outward. Similarly, a trip to the library enables a mental journey into a larger context by supporting a progression from the comforts of a community to the comprehensiveness of the world.

Goals

Circuit was created for a library that places itself at the cultural center of the town. The idea for the sculpture developed from the relationship of the library to the train station and the importance of the underground railway in the history and identity of the town. Both infer expansive movement outward.

Similarly, a trip to the library enables a mental journey into a larger context by supporting a progression from the comforts of a community to the comprehensiveness of the world.

The materials of wood and metal from which “Circuit” is made, contrast the wooded nature of the town and the layered papers of books with both the electronics of technology that extend the library’s resources and the industrial nature of the railroad that connects the town to a larger context.

Process

I built the wood part of the piece in my studio. It was then transported to Vector Custom Metal Fabricating, where I worked with their people to develop the connection with how the perforated stainless steel interacts with the wood. The piece was installed by Methods and Materials.

Additional Information

This project was funded primarily through the sale of used books and fundraising efforts and was thoroughly embraced by the community. They documented the process of the piece and made it into a book for the library.