Client: City of Lawrecne, Kansas

Overview

A multiple location installation of blown glass works were created for the Lawrence Transit Facility that all relate with one another. The stained glass facade, lobby chandelier, and illuminated towers all carry the theme of colorful lines moving towards a circle or sphere, suggesting the act of travel.
The multiple disciplined installation called for great engineering and perfect execution in order to put the work in place. The process saw mold-blown glass and free-hand blown glass, stained glass fabrication, metal-working, neon-bombarding, and electrical work.
The community of Lawrence, Kansas weighed in prior to creating the work that the main colors being used should reflect that of the representing colors of the colleges in the city, Haskell University (purple and gold) and Kansas University (red and blue).

Goals

The goal of "Making Connections" is to remind the viewer that utilizing community transit will strengthen bonds within the community and get people further than using personal commuters to get around. Each piece being tied to one another in similar design aspects is also aimed at the congruity of the title. Color, light, and involvement with its environment is always a goal by the designer, Tyler Kimball, and his studio, Monarch Glass Studio, for installations in public places.

Process

The stained glass windows were made from mouth-blown sheets and intricately designed rounds, all made from the furnace at Monarch Glass Studio. The transit-map-like design of the stained glass uses 12 different colors connecting the rounds and is surrounded by three different alabaster whites that show a subtle fade throughout the 14 panels. The panels were built using brass-reinforced lead and are retro-fit into the existing commercial framing with aluminum frames.
The three illuminated towers are made from sections of mold-blown glass pieces, connected by anodized aluminum. The red spheres at the top are 18" in diameter and held in place by a stainless steel fitter.
The chandelier in the lobby of the transit facility is six foot in diameter and displays six intricately designed blown glass saucers, lit by LED bulbs. The colored glass tubes were hand-blown and lit with neon tubing inserts.

Additional Information

The installation was designed by Tyler Kimball and fabricated and installed by Monarch Glass Studio.