SOCIAL DISTANCE & SHELTER IN PLACE (IN PROGRESS)

These projects will be located on two sites in Saint Paul, Minnesota — one on a heavily trafficked commercial corridor adjacent to a large regional hospital and the other in a quiet residential neighborhood. The projects are reflections on the Coronavirus pandemic and this moment’s cultural conditions — virtual vs. physical space, social media vs. social gatherings, containment vs. release, etc. We are also responding to the surrounding architectural contexts and streetscapes, the heavy pedestrian traffic, and existing street elements such as traffic crossing switch pedestals, utility boxes & signage. The overall forms suggest abstracted human figures. They are human-scaled in order to project a discernible presence at a distance (like a pedestrian), but also to invite intimate observation. They project a certain psychological space through their relative scales and their gestural groupings and interactions. Although the two sites share common formal characteristics the underlying narratives are quite different — through the use of internal cast bronze elements one conveys a sense of disquiet and threat, while the other promotes a sense of nesting and sanctuary.