Client: City and County of Denver

Overview

True West is an 11′ stainless steel interactive touch-based sculpture designed to inspire wonder and collaborative playfulness. As participants approach, they will notice a larger-than-life compass overhead, but with a needle pointing West, as referenced by the cardinal directions etched into the concrete pavement and the mountains in the distance. They will see four stainless steel pad elements, each attached to one of the four columns, and if a participant approaches or touches the surface, they will notice that the compass needle will start to turn and be drawn in their direction. Then, when they back up or leave, the needle slowly finds its way back to West.

Goals

The goal for integrating the artwork into the site was to use the existing cardinal directions etched into the concrete pavement and bringing them to life by providing a real-time interactive experience in creating art that invokes a sense of discovery.

Process

The collaboration process involved working closely with community members to develop the goals and parameters for the commissions, identify a location for the artwork, and selecting the artist.

Additional Information

Nick Geurts and Ryan Elmendorf are Denver artists who pride themselves on creating immersive, participatory art to instill a sense of child-like wonder in the greater community. They incorporate a multitude of materials and robust embedded electronic light and sound-based systems to engage the participants in their art. The artists' passion is to create art that invokes a sense of discovery, play, wonder, and learning for children and adults alike.