Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California Dappled Space (proposal detail)
Dappled Space
Visualize a walk through the woods,
sunlight streaking through native trees
Celebrating this beautiful place,
bodies and minds thrive.
To view a very short video of proposed art, go to:
vimeo.com/1070910838
Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 1 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California Dappled Space
The art for Fremont’s new Central Park Community Center should inspire awe, curiosity, and respect for the regional beauty. Walking through sunlit illuminated forests surrounded by woodland life is among the most beautiful and inspirational experiences in life. I want to recreate that illuminated sensation in the lobby space.
The woods—mysterious, complex and beautiful in its infinite variety—has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for my work. It's ceaseless play of light and color, staggering variety of life forms, and subtle changes throughout the seasons are sources of endless wonder.
Suspended glass would seemingly paint the ceiling, walls, and floor with optical reflections, refractions, and shadows. The building will announce its presence subtly in daylight and more overtly in the evening and at night.
Full Bloom (detail) at the Welcome Center in Ennis, Texas Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 2 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California About the Glass
Glowing orange shifts to a deep red as I lower the temperature. Color and form coalesce.
Cooled to an amorphous solid, it will hold its new shape for thousands of years but always appear as a liquid. Like our planet, each piece of glass comes from a process of immense transformative heat followed by cooling. Fusing, or kiln forming, allows me a deliberate and intricate layering of textures with a full spectrum palette as opaque as obsidian or as transparent as water. Humans have been fusing glass for over four thousand years! Glass is actually humanity’s first synthetic material.
A combination of art and science, fused glass is
the ideal material for an art installation in setting focused on imagination and healing.
Typically, the colors that I use change as they are viewed from different angles and in different lighting conditions. Bubbles trapped in the glass create glistening reflectors. But also, I use dichroic glass, which has the seemingly magical property of reflecting and transmitting opposite colors.
Traditionally, the three main methods of creating art glass are referred to as cold, hot and warm glass. Stained glass is formed from pieces of cold glass which are cut and assembled with strips of metal caning. Blown glass is usually formed from molten glass, which is manipulated as it cools and becomes more viscous. It is often called “hot glass” and is heated to temperatures above 2100ºF. Kiln-formed or fused glass, on the other hand, is formed from cold glass which is manipulated as it heats up and becomes less viscous. This fused glass, which is never
heated above a tepid 1700ºF, is referred to as “warm glass.” My glass art works are composed of fragments and ribbons of cut glass, which are fired multiple times. Each firing is slowly annealed over a period of hours or days, depending on the size, shape, and complexity of the piece. I often layer thousands of elements of transparent, iridescent, and/or dichroic glass and fuse them together at temperatures between 1450–1700°F until they are fully fused into a single smooth sheet. Afterwards, additional layers of glass may be “tack fused” onto the smooth sheets in an additional firing at 1300–1425°F. These tack-fused elements add texture, enhancing the diversity of
reflections when seen from different angles. In a subsequent, and much cooler, firing at temperatures between 1175–1275°F, I gently and slowly bend the glass into sculptural forms. In a vacuum chamber, mineral oxide quartz crystals are deposited directly onto the surfaces of the glass, creating unique prismatic lenses that seemingly magically transform the light.
No two pieces of glass are exactly the same. Each of the sculptural glass elements are unique in color and form, as each one is crafted individually, by hand.
Maintenance
The glass and stainless steel are durable materials, requiring minimal maintenance. About once in a year or two, interior art will need a light dusting. I will supply the facility with a lightweight telescoping duster. The LED lights will last for many decades.
Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 3 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California Schedule
StudioGH will coordinate with the center for a mutually convenient time for the installation. The glass will be fabricated by StudioGH over a period of about 6 months. The installation will take about a week, at a mutually agreed upon time.
Budget (Interior or Exterior Art)
I personally fabricate all the glass in my studio. Consultants fabricate the stainless steel cables, connectors, and lights. I will work within the estimate of expenses below:
Optical Play at the LCCC Surbrugg Prentice Auditorium in Cheyenne, Wyoming Glass Fabrication 1 $75,640
Cables, Hardware, and lights $14,110
Crating and Shipping $4,800
Installation $33,200
Artist’s Fee (7.5%) 2 $12,450
Equipment $2,400
Legal Fees & Insurance3 $1,000
Travel $5,800
Contingency (10%) $16,600
Total Budget $166,000
1 Includes Materials, Supplies, and Overhead Expenses
2 includes design coordination and construction documents 3 Design Studio carries insurance for large public art installations.
Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 4 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California Hand-made glass with optical caustics and thin film interference Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 5 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California Studio GH installations (Emergence, Cedar Rapids, IO above, Intertwined, Columbus, OH below) Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC P age of 6 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California Studio GH installation with leaves (Between Sea and Sky, University Place, WA) Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 7 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California East
Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 8 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California North
Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 9 10
Art Proposal “Dappled Space” Central Park Community Center, Fremont, California Exterior (Day & Night)
Michele R Gutlove www.studiogh.com
Design Studio GH, LLC Page of 10 10