Pier 865: New Art Emerges

I’ll confess that my expectations for the new sculpture at the intersection of Gay Street and Summit Hill Avenue remained low up to the moment it began to emerge on the large platform where it will reside. I remain uncertain regarding my final judgement. I know a lot of readers have been displeased with the process and the design.

And, yet.

In watching small metal pieces begin to join together, a range of colors emerging, pin-points of light filtering through the growing structure, I may be coming around a bit. Beauty or worthiness is in the eye of the beholder and we each have a personal reaction to art of any sort, but . . . I’m starting to come around.

Maybe it’s just the intrigue of watching nothing become something, of witnessing chaos emerge into order, or at least a recognizable whimsy. Maybe I’m just looking for something beautiful in a difficult and messy world. Perhaps I’ve simply enjoyed construction on steroids: Instead of watching a building emerge over a year or two, we get to see the sculpture change every day. I’m not sure.

Whatever it is, I’ve enjoyed watching the parts turn to shapes and increasingly to form. So, here the photographs are presented sequentially. Maybe you’ll get the same vibe or maybe not. For me it’s been surprisingly joyful. I hope you feel some of that, as well. It’s easy to fall into a comfortable cynicism. I’m taking the moment to find joy in the shape-shifting, emergent blast of color and metal among us.

So, what do you think? Am I alone in seeing something a little more interesting than I first expected? I’m not sure in the end it will be a favorite spot for me, but I’m beginning to think it might be an interesting spot. My mind has opened to the possibility.