Deedee Morrison Sculpture
Arise Now Economic Development - Janesville, WI
Rolled and Painted Pipe, Stainless Steel with Printed Glass
30’H x 30’W x 30’D Bridge Sculpture, Bridge Handrails, Bridge Deck Seating, LED Lighting and Programming
2020
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe”.
John Muir - Naturalist
Scope of Work:
- Pedestrian Bridge Sculpture - 30’L x 30’L x 28’H - Painted Steel Pipe, Tempered Glass with LED Lighting
- Handrail - 230 Linear Footbridge - Painted Steel and Stainless Steel with LED Lighting
- Bridge Deck Seating - 2 Granite Seating Boulders, 6 Wooden Benches and 2 Granite and Stainless Steel Tables/6Chairs
- Programed LED Lighting for undercarriage of Court St., Milwaukee St. and Heritage Bridges
The heart of the Resilience project is simply to re-engage the community with the wonder and majesty of place. Sit alongside the river and enjoy a beautiful day perched on a boulder overlooking the Town Square, or take a walk across the bridge and explore a full moon under the sculptural branches.
The pedestrian bridge and sculpture honor Janesville’s history (agriculture, industry, merchant, etc.) – without regard to its politics.
Janesville’s story begins with the creation and evolution of the place. The regional stone, left behind after the last glacial retreat, anchors the East and West entrances to the bridge. Wisconsin’s rich fertile soil and the Rock River are remnants of this retreat and ultimately what brought people into the region for millennials.
The bridge deck seating elements meander for the pedestrian like boulders being tumbled downstream – with organic shapes in wood and stainless steel. In the middle of the bridge is the unification of the East and West sides of the river. The design intent is to create a dynamic space influenced by the natural environment of Janesville in a way that connects people with the importance of their natural world in their community.
The Arise Now public art collaboration with Morrison is a striking symbol of resilience to the challenges facing many communities in America today to survive, adapt, and grow. The Resilience public art project reframes the Rock River as a treasured community asset. Formerly viewed as the backdrop to the city, Janesville’s riverfront can now be embraced as the inspiration for unity along the East and West banks, attained through openness and immensity. Anchoring Janesville's deep roots, the artist's vision, and design weave together elements of nature, history, agriculture, and industrial form in a walkable and intimate way. With the unveiling of the Resilience bridge sculpture, Janesville’s focus returns to the river and the Town Square becomes a catalyst for continued growth and renewal.
28,000 pounds of steel pipes seemingly grow out of each side of the bridge deck and are bent to form complex curvilinear surfaces that join each other in the middle. Each pipe gracefully forms an intricate pattern woven across the bridge deck and then adorned with glass leaves, encouraging people to look up. The glass leaves are laminated in varying shades of green that emphasize the organic form and an ecological connection to the place. The stainless steel and glass leaves filter and diffuse natural light - casting natural light with refracted pools of light which create shadows and shade in the center of the bridge.
As a canvas, the bridge provided the artist with a rich cultural, historical, and environmental conceptual terrain to research and derive inspiration from. The fractal design principles facilitate opportunities for exploration and discovery of our natural processes, patterns and forms. Fractals are orderly variations on a basic pattern. They are hyper-efficient in their construction. The laws that govern the creation of fractals are found throughout the natural world. From a biological perspective, arranging leaves as far apart as possible in any given space is favored as it maximizes access to resources, especially sunlight for photosynthesis.
The ecology of the bridge sculpture is to encourage a relationship between the pedestrian and their interconnected environment. This creates a beautiful cultural destination that makes the bridge a symbol of renewal and an expression of how Janesville can restore balance to the landscape downtown. Humans and nature can co-exist in productive harmony. Resilience symbolizes our ability to learn from the past and move forward - toward a more sustainable and collaborative environment.