(C)olumn

2013

Width 5', Height 10"

Powder-coated Steel

 

Sitting next to Bloomington’s historic Seminary Park, (C)olumn intends to connect to Bloomington’s rich cultural history and to the current transformation in this neighborhood through unique visual forms, participatory design process, and digital design/fabrication.

 

(C)olumn is a 10’ tall “C”- shaped architectural rooms with various text and quotes about Bloomington cut out of stainless steel. These quotes are suggested by the residents of Bloomington and were collected via a website that is set up as part of this project.  

 

The “C” in the name “(C)olumn” represents the values of connectivity, culture and community.  The design is meant to act as an “urban room”, an architectural folly that allows passersby to stop their busy lives, stop, enter the (C)olumn, site and look in a variety of ways.

 

Look Forward:  (C)olumn will serve as a gateway leading people to the BEAD district and into this transformed area of Bloomington.

 

Look Around:  Iin the cutouts of the (C)olumn will be viewports that will frame elements of the surrounding area, such as the gates of Seminary Park.

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Look Within: built into the cutouts of the (C)olumn, are quotes that will come from actual residents about Bloomington.  These quotes could also be inspirational quotes about rebirth, renewal -- themes that represent this area.  When completed, passersby will be able to sit on the stool in the center of the sculpture and look out and reflect at the quotes.

 

(C)olumn is a collaboration between Jiangmei Wu and Jon Racek.