Recently I have been in conversation with the Baltimore Medical System, a non-profit that offers free and inexpensive healthcare to low income families and individuals. They are building a new facility which will be one of the first LEED Certified buildings on the east coast. That stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, meaning "green." The BMS is very proud of this new facility, which will break ground in May. Anyway, we have been talking about placing a sculpture on site, and if we can get the approvals all around (as well as funds) I would like to do an permanent sculptural structure that reflects the greenness of the building.

Below are some sketches that I have made showing basic ideas. I have since moved on to mockettes (which I will photograph and show you next time) and the initial planning of materials, etc. My goal was to use environmentally friendly materials, and if I can help it, trash. I

So here is one idea:

Basically an amoebic shape that is held in place with straight architectural elements with add a visual contrast (straight versus curvy and color contrast). I would like this to look like it is going through the wall to emphasize movement, and would make it feel more alive. I would imagine the support straights would be recycled steel, but that amoebic shape could be anything. Still working on that in my head. If you have any ideas, shoot me an email...

I call this idea canvas lichen:

The below image also would have movement. I have already engineered a way to put this together using altered PVC pipe (recycled or salvaged, of course) as the linear supports and either a recycled fabric or maybe even taking plastic bags and stripping them and weaving them to create the fabric element. That way they would be easy to remove and clean, and it would be much lighter for hanging purposes. Also, using canvas or another fabric worries considering the humidity in Maryland. I think plastic would be the way to go.

The next is Wingspan:

I have already made a mockette, and let me tell you, it has evolved greatly from this. (I will post some images next time.) The BMS is looking for people friendly sculptures (my phrase, not theirs) that feel warm and inviting. "Welcoming" is their word. I have done these works in the past involving figures with wings instead of arms and so I was thinking wings would work.

Because of the recent additional requirement (meaning "welcoming") I've been evolving these sketches in my head. To me, anything overhead feels like shelter and so it is welcoming. But I'm assuming that most people would not agree. So I've been tweaking these concepts to actually create environments. And if I can pull off getting the funds, I would like to make these environments big enough that people can walk through. When a sculpture is in a corner how can it feel inviting? When the sculpture opens up and you can wander under it or on it, it seem so much more approachable.