SITE: The entrance to a semi-secluded lawn adjacent to Uris Library on Cornell Campus. The site is seen as a secondary place (library as primary) for contemplation and imagination.
CONCEPTS: This dynamic sculpture is based on specifics of the site, the approach to the site, and the character of the greater Cornell Campus. The isolated space is conceived of as a place for reflection, relaxation, and withdrawal. The sculpture preserves the tranquility of the site itself, and instead creates an entrance or gateway, attracting attention and controlling entry. Experientially and geometrically, the sculpture reinforces the existence of the hedge that defines the seclusion of the space from by completing the corner, and preserving the datum of the hedge in the vertical dimension. The composition is two-part. The bottom half relates to the hedge and acts as a grounded element, whereas the upper half erodes. The erosion controls the ability of those approaching the site to perceive the gap in the hedge that allows entry to the space. Movement towards or away from the sculpture changes the perceived density and, consequently the amount of information revealed beyond. The use of stone veneer, rather than solid block, references Cornell buildings as objects that evolve over time, are retrofitted, added to, subtracted from, and more literally relates the contrast of Uris Library, as a solid stone construction, and Olin Library, as a more contemporary steel and curtain wall construction. The sculpture plays with local typologies, constructions, and geometries to make the entrance to the site an interactive and reflective process that furthers ones experience of what is already and interesting space.
CONCEPTS: This dynamic sculpture is based on specifics of the site, the approach to the site, and the character of the greater Cornell Campus. The isolated space is conceived of as a place for reflection, relaxation, and withdrawal. The sculpture preserves the tranquility of the site itself, and instead creates an entrance or gateway, attracting attention and controlling entry. Experientially and geometrically, the sculpture reinforces the existence of the hedge that defines the seclusion of the space from by completing the corner, and preserving the datum of the hedge in the vertical dimension. The composition is two-part. The bottom half relates to the hedge and acts as a grounded element, whereas the upper half erodes. The erosion controls the ability of those approaching the site to perceive the gap in the hedge that allows entry to the space. Movement towards or away from the sculpture changes the perceived density and, consequently the amount of information revealed beyond. The use of stone veneer, rather than solid block, references Cornell buildings as objects that evolve over time, are retrofitted, added to, subtracted from, and more literally relates the contrast of Uris Library, as a solid stone construction, and Olin Library, as a more contemporary steel and curtain wall construction. The sculpture plays with local typologies, constructions, and geometries to make the entrance to the site an interactive and reflective process that furthers ones experience of what is already and interesting space.
