Integrated Narrative - Stainless steel with programmed LED lighting

(4) - 15’ H - Stainless Steel and Cast Resin with Programed LED Lighting

SW 8th Ave & SE Lyon St Albany, OR 97321

Albany Public Art recently installed its first commission - Integrated Narrative in the Monteith Historic District park. These four, 15 ft tall laser cut stainless steel and cast resin wildflowers are highly visible during the day. They can be clearly seen from any vantage point in the area. At night, the flowers take new life as the cast resin globes pulse and dance, lighting up the night sky like fireflies in the evening sky. The flower and pollinator species used in the art design were chosen from Linn County’s local habitat. The goal of the artwork is to create an urban haven of exploration and play, where one can experience the incredible biodiversity of Oregon.

Wildflowers support entire ecosystems for pollinators, birds, and small animals on a micro-scale. Butterflies and other insects, small birds, and animals depend on seeds, nectar, and pollen for their food supply and life support system. Native plants have adapted to an amazing array of habitats and microclimates in the region, achieving a balance with other living things and forming the foundation for our lives.

Many of our native pollinators and wildflowers are under threat because of the loss of habitat and the use of pesticides. We can all make a difference by exploring and understanding our link with our regional biodiversity - and by planting native species in our backyard and urban areas, we can bring back the pollinators.

Art Design & Pattern Native Species:

1) Camassia leichtlinii

Pollinator: Anise Swallowtail, Silvery Blue, and Fender's Blue

2) Limnanthes douglasii

Pollinator: Beetles, Bumblebees, solitary bees and Hoverflies

3) Trillium Ovatum

Pollinator: Ants. Each seed has a little oil-rich appendage that is attractive to ants. The ants carry the seeds back to their nests where they eat the appendages or feed them to the larvae and then discard the remaining seeds on rubbish piles.

Other regional pollinators that you can see laser cut into the patterns on the petals include:

Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)

Fender's Blue (Icaricia icarioides fenderi)

Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Compton Tortoiseshell(Nymphalis vaualbum)

European Peacock (Inachis io)

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Satyr Comma (Polygonia satyrus)