Arise

2018, 30' x 30' x 45' | 9.14 x 9.14 x 13.71, injection welded post-industrial plastic, post-consumer plastic, hardware, tinted polycrylic, LEDs

Arise is comprised of 30 individual sculptures with LEDs inside them as well as sculpted post-consumer plastic intended to suggest the ether. Commissioned by Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, NE for a temporary exhibition to uplift and engage the visitors in the Gardens. The orange post-industrial plastic is from decommissioned highway safety drums that when cracked or badly dented go into landfills and are not typically recycled. The piece included a public engagement component: a river of bottle caps sorted by color that led to the base of the piece which visitors were invited to contribute to. The title Arise speaks to the need to wake up to the situation we are creating as a species with plastic. Arise was created with additional support from The Orange County Arts Council of NY and The Recycling Coordinator of Orange County, NY.