Client: Signature Development

Overview

“This project is the embodiment of ‘send us your napkin sketch,” said Charles Irby, DEKA Fabrication Principal, on the Jubilation Gate created for the Denizen Apartment building.

Commissioned by Signature Development Group to satisfy Oakland’s percent for public art requirement, the Denizen Gate, aptly named “Jubilation,” was built to last using powder-coated cut-metal shapes attached to a custom-built arch structure. Oakland artist Fernando Reyes and DEKA Fabrication collaborated to create the uniquely functional and welcoming piece of public art.

Goals

The artwork of Oakland artist Fernando Reyes was integral to the development and execution of the Jubilance Gate.

SLATE Art Consulting first approached Fernando Reyes about the public art project in 2018.

His paper cutout collage work— inspired by a former colorful collection entitled "Festival"— was selected as a point of departure for the Denizen Apartments’ courtyard entrance.

Process

Although this was Oakland artist Fernando Reyes’ first experience with public art, the piece that he created was reminiscent of work he’d created from a previous collection of collages influenced by mid-century elements.

Reyes’ original design for “Jubilation,” the colorful courtyard entry gate for Denizen Apartment residents, included over 150 unique shapes and around 50 bold colors. For the final piece, the colors were reduced to 20 and each shape plate was powder coated for color and durability.

Although Reyes’ created the initial collage for Jubilation with paper cutouts, DEKA took on the task of recreating his distinctive shapes digitally before having them cut into steel plates for the gate’s assembly.