The Bone Series: Biophilia Connections was created as a site-specific, public art project for the stairwell in the brand new Career Connections Center on the University of Florida Gainesville campus commissioned through the Art in State Buildings program. The architectural design of the building was based on the concept of biophilia; the human connection to nature and uses biomorphic forms and patterns, visual and tactile textures and colors and materials derived from nature. The space is used to connect job seekers with employers and offering students individualized career education and guidance to enrich their collegiate experience and prepare them for life after graduation.
The Bone Series was chosen for this project to compliment both the biophilic designs used in the construction of the building and the concepts of what the building was actually used for. The fibrous structure of bones speak of the internal, of the synapses or connections happening in our bodies and the connections we have to the external. To convey these concepts of bones, I create abstract interpretations of these structures represented by ceramic discs in varying sizes. Each of the discs have a hole pattern carved into them, giving them an organic weblike structure and activated negative space. The six wall installations are placed throughout so they are visible from all approaches to the stairwell and they wrap through the area. The discs are connected to each other using steel aircraft cables creating an abstract web that is stretched across the wall. The cables are anchored to the wall with eye hooks that float the entire structure off the wall a few inches, this also allows for the pieces to leave intriguing shadows. The organic nature of the ceramic parts is visually balanced by the geometric structure created by the cables. The connected parts create a new larger form that is visually dynamic and conceptually a symbol of our connectivity to each other and the natural world.
photo credit: Melissa Nunez