Alpine Panel is a seven part installation comprised of cast glass elements that float just off the wall. The milky blue translucency allows light to flow through each piece illuminating an intimate composition of ferns and branches. These botanical vignettes are created through my signature casting process using locally sourced vegetation. Sterling silver accents and iridescent earth tones compliment the chilly glacial blues completing the work. The assembled composition ultimately forms a segmented alpine tree line with the ridge of Mt. Rainier in the distance evoking the same spatial dynamics of our grand North West landscape.
Incline
About 10 foot wide after install.
Fiinishing touches.
Glacial
Almost Touching
Evening install
Ridgeline
Ready to sooth & calm the patients.
Mountain Range
Ghost Town
Alpine Panel – A permanent installation at the Rainer Pavilion at the Tacoma General Hospital.
Proud
Alpine Panel is part of the Permanent Collection of Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma Washington
It is installed in the lobby on the fourth floor of the new Rainier Pavilion
Just like any city movers and the shakers operate behind the scenes. however projects of this magnitude being pursued without full public consideration smells of desperation and shortsightedness. I along with many of my fellow citizens were astonished to learn of the scope and risk involved in these two massive projects and equally astonished that we have not heard more news of these planned constructions before. In my curiosity to learn more about this I contacted Claudia Reidener who provided me with following information.
“The port of Tacoma is proposing two projects:
1) LNG (already underway with approval) Liquefied Natural Gas export facility proposed by Bellevue-base Australia owned Puget Sound Energy (PSE). The proposal is for a 180 foot tall gas tanks with liquefied gas (at MINUS 260 F). This facility is solely use to store large quantities, for export, to sell later and to fuel one company’s ships (Tote). International standards say they have to be three miles away from civilians. At a 2014 Plymouth WA LNG accident the fire marshal called a ¾ mile lethal zone around the facility and evacuated everyone within a two mile radius. Close call Fire & Evacuation at LNG Facility LNG Facility Construction & Risks City of Tacoma LNG Facility Timeline & Dates
North West Innovation Works LLC is a Chinese investment entity, proposing to build the largest methanol refinery in the world at the Port of Tacoma. As an LLC entity they minimize their risk leaving the Citizens of Tacoma with minimal recourse in the event of a catastrophic event.
2) NWIW (North West Innovation Works) wants to build the worlds largest methanol refinery facility. If built this refinery would consume 450 MW electricity from Tacoma Public Utilities, owned by the citizens of Tacoma. 450 MW can power 350,000 – 450,000 households according to the hydropower association. Tacoma has about 87,000 households. The refinery would also consume 14 to 21 million gallons of fresh water per DAY. All of Tacoma uses about 16 million gallons day. Also produced in the process 1.44 million gallons toxic waste water per day fed into our waste water treatment facility. Tagro is made from wastewater sludge. The refinery would also pump in 524 million cubic feet a DAY of fracked gas. The company piping in the gas is Williams Co, the same company that had the LNG accident just about a year ago (link above), and they have had gas pipeline accidents again and again and again. All these resources would be refined into highly volatile and toxic methanol, to be shipped via diesel powers massive chemical tankers to china to be turned into plastics. They are proposing to store 300,000 metric tanks on site, in above ground tanks. NWIW never built anything, anywhere. AS a corporate structure they tend to re-incorporate frequently to avoid responsibility down the line. Their maximum liability insurance is 50 million, plus 25 million environmental damage.” City of Tacoma Proposed Methanol Facility Dates & Information No Water for Methanol Facebook Page
To date the only long-term benefit of these facilities that I am aware of is the creation of a meager 200 permanent jobs after construction, and somehow this will reduce greenhouse emissions by allowing china to burn less coal? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In the chilly waters of the Thea Foss one may observe a unique phenomenon, an impossible view into the surface of the harbor. The crisp form of FLOW is the embodiment of negative space and speaks through reflection and diffraction. Its rigid form juxtaposed against fluid motions of the water. This piece works seamlessly within the aquatic environment cycling every 45 minutes it is synchronized with the rhythms of the natural world.
FLOW – A public art piece displayed within the Thea Foss Waterway, Tacoma,WA.
FLOW is visible from the promenade in front of the Museum of Glass just in the waters off Dock St. Marina. For me this piece is a proof of concept and I look forward to applying these dynamics in a permanent setting. FLOW is best viewed at an oblique angle.
I really enjoyed the process of creating of this dynamic piece. I have dedicated a significant amount time this year resolving the many complexities of both the fabrication of the acrylic form and the function of the mechanical aspects. FLOW challenged every one of my accumulated creative skills including electrical, acrylic fabrication as well as mathematics for the calculation of water levels, flow and displacement. The installation within the decidedly hostile waters Thea Foss Waterway added additional variables to this already complex project.
Because of the limited budget this project was designed around preexisting equipment and materials available in my community. I also familiarized myself with the laser plotter at FabLab in Tacoma to cut the acrylic components. Another hurtle was my lack of a testing pool and had to call in the help of my friends in the marina for assistance. Lastly I would like to thank the Tacoma Arts Commission for taking a chance on this project. Without the help of this organization I would never have embarked upon this fantastic voyage. -Oliver Doriss
FLOW is on display from September 6th to October 6th it cycles every 45 minutes and is illuminated for night time viewing.
This piece was realized through support, funding and donations from the following entities.
Special Thanks to:
-Tacoma Arts Commission
-Cayn Thomson
-Second Cycle Community Bicycle Shop
-Craig Perry
-Delin Docks / Dock Street Marina
FLOW is a structured formation of negative space within a body of water. This void will be created in the form of letters. The letters will spell out a word that is directly related to the location of installation.
This project will operate much like a boat. The main body of the boat will fabricated from clear Acrylic. It will float just at the surface of the water. Surface water will cascade over the leading edge of the vessel obscuring the outer wall. This “Vessel” will have a self-regulating bilge pump to maintain its level of buoyancy. The finished piece will be displayed summer of 2013 in the Thea Foss Waterway. The final text size and shape will be determined by location and engineering constraints.
FLOW will be on display in the Thea Foss September 2014
