''Artwall'', also known as ''Art Wall'', is an outdoor 2005 sculpture by German architect and artist

Herbert Dreiseitl Herbert Dreiseitl (born 1955) is a sculptor, artist, landscape architect and interdisciplinary urban planner. He founded the firm Atelier Dreiseitl in 1980 with a vision to develop liveable cities inspired by a deep understanding of water. In 2013, ...

, located at

Tanner Springs Park Tanner Springs Park is a city park in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District. History Part of a 1999 Pearl District plan, the park was originally named North Park Square, but was renamed in April 2005. Originally, the park was to be designed by Maya L ...

in the

Pearl District The Pearl District is an area of Portland, Oregon, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards and now noted for its art galleries, upscale businesses and residences. The area has been undergoing significan ...

of Portland, Oregon.

Description and history

''Artwall'' was designed by architect Herbert Dreiseitl along with

. The sculpture was installed at Northwest Marshall Street and Northwest 10th Avenue, along the east edge of the park, in 2005. It was funded by the City of Portland's Percent for Art program and construction funds from PDC. The "art wall" measures x and features 368 reclaimed railroad tracks (weathered steel) standing on end and 99 pieces of fused glass inset with images of "preindustrial" amphibians, dragonflies and other insects, and spiders. Dreiseitl hand-painted the images directly onto Portland glass, before the pieces were fused and melted. The century-old tracks separate the park's boardwalk from the meadow and wetland portion, and have been described as "reminders of the area's industrial past". The Smithsonian Institution categorizes the sculpture as both

abstract Abstract may refer to: * ''Abstract'' (album), 1962 album by Joe Harriott * Abstract of title a summary of the documents affecting title to parcel of land * Abstract (law), a summary of a legal document * Abstract (summary), in academic publishi ...

and

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

. According to the

Regional Arts & Culture Council The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is an organization that administers arts grants in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties that also do advocacy in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It evolved from the city� ...

, which administers the work, "The concept of the ''Artwall'' integrates the concept of the park itself. In one urban block the skin of city is peeled back to reveal the landscape before its industrial development. The wall is an element which thrives on the polarity between the site's industrial past and the purity of its new nature." ''Artwall'' is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

References

External links

Tanner Springs Park , Portland, USA
Atelier Dreiseitl {{Public art in Portland, Oregon 2005 establishments in Oregon 2005 sculptures Abstract sculptures in Oregon Outdoor sculptures in Northwest Portland, Oregon Pearl District, Portland, Oregon Steel sculptures in Oregon Works by German people

Description and history

See also

References

External links