Here’s an interesting article on the artwork being used on concrete sound barrier panels along the I-25 T-REX project. Or, more specifically, problems with the artwork not lining up.
It’s not just that the panels don’t line up. It’s that the artwork on the panels doesn’t.
Relax, say Barb McKee and Robin McCarthy, the design team responsible for the wall art along the $1.67 billion highway expansion and light-rail project on Interstates 25 and 225.
“This is not static art that hangs in a controlled environment like a gallery. It’s to be seen at 60 miles an hour and at a 33-degree to 45-degree angle,” said McKee, principal designer with Surface Strategy, which produced the designs.
Riiiiiight. While it’s true that people sluicing through the Narrows at 60-odd MPH will pay scant attention to flaws in the artwork, it will certainly be a lot more visible during all-too-frequent stop-n-go traffic.
While the goal for much of the art was seamless scenes across panels, that wasn’t always possible. “All the art had to conform to the rules of construction,” McKee said. She explained the challenges of having the artwork line up properly on concrete wall panels 10 feet wide and up to 34 feet high.
Um … that doesn’t seem any more difficult than any construction job to me. “Okay, on panel 35A, the rope meets at 6 feet, 2 inches. The top of the mountain meets at 12 feet, 11 inches. The swallow meets at …” Like that.
Yeesh.
(via Stan)