Aurora Almanac

This new public art installation at the Trades District Garage utilizes geometric elements for design, but also as channels for self-exploration and expression. Using this site you will design and submit your own tiles for this future installation.

Download design materials here, and then Share your Design

Register for the next workshop here

Workshop slides here

Description

For the Trades District Parking Garage, I envision an experience that sparks self-reflection and excitement for something as seemingly mundane as the daily ritual of parking and walking up and downstairs. The Trades District Parking Garage’s unique environment of having “levels” is incredibly fitting as it has the ability to provide variability of environments. With this artwork, employees, clients, and visitors of the Trades District would be invited to notice that not every day is the same and that every day is a color. Each of the seven levels of the parking garage will have a different aurora that will change with time. To illuminate the relief patterns, there will be colorful light gradients positioned on the top and bottom of each mural, creating an astonishing, glowing visual effect. Each level will be decorated with a mural of tilework, consisting of custom-made, white tiles created by the community through a series of workshops.

Each tile will be 1 square foot and I propose to intermix different tile designs to create a sense of variety. The variety of geometric designs created by the community reinforces the importance of diversity and of the variety of emotions that are always taking place. The Trades Garage Building design includes two glass stairwell towers, one on the South facade and one on the North facade, each with 4 and 3 levels respectively. Each level of the garage will have its own independent frame arrangement, making a total of 7 frames. Each frame will have either 24 or 48 tiles. There will be 2 large panels (8’x6’) and 5 (6’x4’) panels.