On Thursday, May 14, a new 12-foot tall sculpture will be installed in Jackson Court on the University of Rochester’s River Campus, as part of an effort to bring public art to campus. Artist Sabri Gokmen’s CALYX was selected from a pool of more than 120 submissions received from an international call for proposals.
“Our goal with this project was to identify an experienced artist, like Gokmen, who makes site-specific art that reflects the surrounding environment and its history,” said Allen Topolski, professor of art and a member of the University’s selection committee.
The process began three years ago with a request for proposals for a permanent outdoor art installation to reflect the University’s mission to “Learn, Discover, Heal Create- and Make the World Ever Better.” The committee then selected six finalists whose plans, including models of their concept, were exhibited in the Art Music Library Gallery in Rush Rhees Library and online during Meliora Weekend 2013, to gather input from the community.
According to the artist’s statement “CALYX celebrates the coming of a new age where technology, nature, and knowledge become intertwined to inspire the creation of a new generation which will drive the University of Rochester forward.”
The sculpture will be installed at the intersection of several heavily trafficked walkways adjacent to Sage Art Center and is the final step in the completion of Jackson Court, a recently completed community gathering area near O’Brien hall and Anderson and Wilder Towers.
“I believe the sculpture lends a signature to our campus and really represents an intersection between art and technology that our students are really excited about,” said Topolski.
Generated through the use of computer software, CALYX is constructed out of steel sheets extracted through CNC milling and then welded and bolted into a final configuration. The artist, Gokmen, will be in Rochester on Thursday for the installation. He is currently pursuing a PhD degree in design computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology focusing on Goethean morphology and computational architecture. His research aims to bridge history, theory, and computation to develop new techniques for digital design. For more information about CALYX, visit sabrigokmen.com.
