Deedee Morrison Sculpture
Chicago Transit Authority
Lawrence Transit Station - Chicago, IL
The Parallel Frames of Reference sculptural reliefs are designed to take a 2D wall surface into the 3rd Dimension. The dramatic architectural reliefs are located on the ornamental fencing of the Lawrence Transit Station entrance areas and continue their journey up the mesh panel system on the wall surfaces of the stairwell. Parallel Frames of Reference combines traditional sculpture construction methods with cutting-edge digital design and fabrication technology.
Deedee Morrison created these interpretive structures based on the architectural history of the Uptown Theater District of Chicago in the 1920s. For over a century, Uptown has been a popular Chicago entertainment district that played a significant role in ushering in the Gilded Age, the Lyceum Movement, the Jazz Age, the silent film era, the swing era, the big band era, and the rock and roll era. Today, the area surrounding the Lawrence Transit Station maintains its historical ties and continues to expand its diversity and reputation as the entertainment district of Chicago. The theaters in the area continue to play a significant role in the neighborhood’s current and evolving identity.
The drama of the Parallel Frames of Reference three-dimensional sculptural reliefs begins when the passenger approaches the Lawrence Transit Station. The audience will visually engage with the essence of Moorish and Mediterranean sixteenth and seventeenth-century architectural designs; reinterpreted, and synthesized with an updated aesthetic principle. The CNC laser cut screen patterns will re-enact the architectural design elements found in Moorish arches, window frames, latticework, engravings, and tile details.