Project Overview

The project at Shissler Rec Center will  build on the imagery and tactility that was placed on Norris Street passage. ( A mural that was completed in the summer of 2009.)

2187 Norris Street

Slate and marble sidewalk insert 

in progress, above

installed below

Glass mosaics in progress.

Our goal is to place murals and sculptures that highlight natural phenomena to sensitize viewers and users to the particular light, wind and water of this part of the Delaware River Basin. Our research and imagery will focus on water flow patterns, and reflect the local materials and historic uses of the neighborhood.  We will find ways to move the viewer through the space using a sequence of art works that offer new ways to see and think about this place and time, texture and water. A way to create new connections to the natural and urban patterns that underlie our experience here.

Phase 1 consist of a long parking lot wall that is in progress, and Two walls and the Entry way of Shissler Recreation Center.

1.Our goals are:

1. to use the rich material culture already present in the neighborhood
2. to celebrate the “rough, minimal” aesthetic
3. to make this building, spray park and pedestrian path compelling to walkers and bike riders- subtle complexity- that triggers a perceptual shift.

2. Create themes of passage and water. Repeated motifs that can change as one approaches from Palmer Park to Blair Street or from Berks and Montgomery, through the use of:

1. scale
2. hue
3. value
4. placement
5. material
6. proportion

3. Use materials that complement the feel of the site- that echo materials already present, such as bricks and cobble stones.

Inspiration and Imagery

1. Place- South Kensington/ Fish town- in relationship with the Delaware River. Highlighting the interesting features and materials that are already in this large block. Using collections of impressions and patterns combined with the inspiration of mapping.
2. Physical and Conceptual Linkage- Columbia Ave greenway, Delaware Ave, Penn Treaty Park, creating an awareness of connectedness, sustainability through water patterns.
3. Delaware River- detail and overview as a primary visual inspiration, using historic boating and fishing industry as points of investigation. Making site visits to the river for research and inspiration.
4. Natural patterns and abstractions-  overlapping organic forms, ice formations that have translucency and opacity, tide pools, abstraction of  the Delaware river map, rain patterns, water patterns, flora and fauna, map coordinates, cardinal points, tidal charts, phases of the moon, text.

Phase 1:

1.    Murals 1 and 2 on Shissler Rec Center using ceramic tile, glass and paint that will contain the many textures and effects of water. This work will be a collaborative between Tyler School of Art students and Mural Corp and my artist team to make this artwork.

2.    Sculptural element- featuring Sun Shadows and Wind. Based on prevailing wind and sunlight, one wall will feature a sculpture that casts clear and colored shadows onto the walls, and ground. It will change if a breeze picks up, if a cloud covers the sun, and by seconds at times as the sun moves across the sky. Almost sun dial, almost kaleidoscope, and almost sail.

3.    Patterns and words revealed by rain - Using sealer on cement that is only visible during rainy days. Highlighting everything that we love about rain, rivers and oceans, encouraging conservation by using texts from nature writers like Aldo Leopold, Barry Lopez, John McPhee and Gretel Ehrlich. (Contingent on successful research)

4.    Map wall- Fabricate glass medallions and install on walls.

Phase 2:

1.    Spray Garden- Redesigning an existing spray garden that integrates the water play experience with natural materials of slate, pebbles and the sound of falling water. This project will feature a range of flush-mounted fountains that include ground sprays and bubblers.  A rill could be a visual connector from a rain chain on the corner of the building, through the spray garden and into the new water drainage pits. Include a water fountain.

2.    Garden seating clusters-Near the children’s spray park, and near the vertical sculpture will be groupings of carved wooden boulders, like pebble clusters of varying dimensions. These will allow opportunities for garden viewing and drawing, resting spots for bike riders, and a place for parents and children to meet.

3.    Hinge- vertical Sculpture-Create a site line from Palmer Park to Shissler pedestrian path and the Rec Center.  Using laser cut metal to cast place names and water terms.  Fishtown had a boat building industry at one time, so tide times, and descriptions of water would have been as ubiquitous as talking about the weather.