Client: Emerald Hills Sports Pavilion

Overview

Limenitis Wall (Emerald Hills Sports Pavilion). 13' x 13' x 1'. Anodized Aluminum.

Goals

Composed of hundreds of custom CNC milled, hand formed and anodized aluminum components mounted to an exterior wall facing a public plaza, Limenitis Wall is inspired by the ways in which plants and insects use petals and wings for camouflage, attraction, and the shedding and collection of water. The work acts as an expression of cycles of change, and is meant to be experienced in every season. Its surfaces reflect light and produce shadow as the sun changes positions. It collects frost and produces highly articulated and changing patterns across its surface. Precipitation is collected by the components and directed to the planter below. Made of elegant arcs of aluminum, the piece evokes a connection between the forces of nature and the forms that evolve to resist or take advantage of those forces. Its colors are those of the Limenitis (White Admiral) butterfly, as it rests lightly on the building's facade; the butterfly is a powerful metaphor for change and transformation. The combination color, pattern and form activate a sense of pareidolia, a response where we project our own meanings or interpretations onto complex formations, exemplified by the act of seeing faces in clouds.

Process

The initial design concept was submitted in response to an RFP initiated by the County of Strathcona. The design was shortlisted and a mockup and more detailed design proposal was selected by a jury of artists and community members. The work was designed and fabricated by Jason Johnson and Guy Gardner of the Laboratory for Integrative Design, with assistance from Alex Wilton and Oluwaseyi Arole.