Our Work

Sun Pavilion

Client

City of El Paso

Location

El Paso, TX

Size

15'x36'x12'

Completion date

September 2017

Sun Pavilion is a public art installation that creates an iconic, destination shade structure for Blackie Chesher Park, a large urban park and sports complex in El Paso, Texas.

Public Art

Inspired by Hueco Tanks, an ancient Desert Archaic and Native American Cultural site, patterns of indigenous plant species are illuminated by the ever-changing and ever-present sunlight during the day, and by interior LED illumination at night. Laser-jet cut panels in polychromed aluminum evoke the craft traditions of papel picado, or cut-paper patterns and pierced-metal lanterns of the area.

The sun represents perhaps the most significant single cultural connection between the history of people living in this region and their unique natural environment. During our site visit, someone said to us that the sun in El Paso is “24/7.” While this may not be literally the case, the sun is omnipresent. It not only effects the color of the surrounding landscape, but it impacts the use of the park. The sun is a symbolic presence that also connects El Paso’s past, present and future. Careful selection of the best location on the site is based on the relative position of the sun as it moves across the park to maximize the structure’s best shade angles.

The sculpture features a circular “oculus” that glows in a dynamic ring and move shapes of light and shadow across the ground plain below, reminiscent of other solar astronomical installations in history.

Inspired by Hueco Tanks an ancient Desert Archaic and Native American Cultural site with unique petroglyphs, patterns of indigenous plant species with hints of reference to the petroglyphs are illuminated by the ever-changing and ever-present sunlight during the day, and interior LED illumination at night. Laser-jet cut panels in polychromed aluminum evoke the craft traditions of papel picado or cut-paper patterns and pierced-metal lanterns of the region.

Goals

Framing a place to gather, the “Sun Pavilion” is a place to shelter and share the stories of the day with each other. This public art project reinforces the role of regional parks as civic anchors and places of community gathering and cohesion and with imagination, the patterned shadows and colors echo faces of the past and put us together in the present with each other creating a special place, a distinctive place, for Blackie Chesher Park and the community.

Process

The project began with research and discovery to immerse ourselves in the history and character of the region and the site. There is nothing more important than listening carefully to the people that live and work and play in a given location.

Experiencing the use of the park, both day and night, was especially revealing. Our “artistic fact-finding” investigation led us into the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert, where we got to see the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs on the rock formations of Hueco Tanks firsthand. These amazing images immediately influenced the direction of our work. Throughout the process, we were also experimenting and testing digital imagery in laser-cut models, sharing this development with a variety of large-scale metal fabricators. We forged a close, design-assist relationship with a well-known fabricator. Through this multi-faceted back-and-forth collaboration between artists, community, and fabricator, we were able to explore and communicate, a meaningful narrative within the dynamic pavilion structure.

Additional Design Details

The “Sun Pavilion” has been recognized as an integrated Placemaking component within the major urban park. While it is directly influenced by specific cultural and ethnographic imagery, the contemporary form, capturing the movement of the sun, is both sculpture and functional shelter.

Shade or shadow is critical to creating a gathering place, especially in El Paso. But the idea of shade and the role it performs, goes beyond just getting out of the sun’s light. In mythology, shade becomes the spirit or soul of a person. Our installation, a sculptural “pavilion” of the sun, creates a special place for people to gather in light, in shadow, and in color, orchestrated by the movement of the sun.

The LED illumination comes from within, enhancing the laser-jet cut panels that resemble cut-paper patterns.

Lighting is critical to the installation creating a glow throughout daytime and nighttime conditions.

Awards

Public Spaces Merit Award

CODAworx

2018