Lead Artist(s):
Lead Pencil Studio
http://www.leadpencilstudio.org
Contributing Artist(s):
Annie Han
http://www.leadpencilstudio.org
Daniel Mihalyo
Description:
According to a US Customs and Border Protection guard at the Blaine, Washington border station, Lead Pencil Studio's work of art represents "the opposite of a billboard. Titled Non-Sign II, it is located at the Peace Arch Land Port of Entry at the United States border with Canada, a fitting site for a work that raises questions about what it is. Collaborators Daniel Mihalyo and Annie Han's abstract piece consists of a blank frame surrounded by a web of metal pieces, and in Mihalyo's words, "Borrowing the effectiveness of billboards to redirect attention away from the landscape... this (is a) permanently open aperture."While its form mimics those of typical billboard signs ubiquitous to US interstate highways, Non-Sign II is made from small stainless steel rods that are assembled together to create the negative space of a billboard. Rather than capture a driver's attention for advertising or informational purposes, the art work brings focus to the landscape and view. Seattle's newspaper The Stranger described the project: "They noticed the way the area is packed with signs, advertising billboards, and then, closer to the border, a proliferation of government signs. Their hope is that their sign, flying by enigmatically ('What was that'), will add a little bit of awareness to the whole signage landscape in the border zone. Just open up a free space, really. How very American. The empty rectangle frames only a view of sky as you drive by, nothing else."
Location/Site Type:
Transit System
Location Description:
In a field
Location of Project:
Project Street Address:
Project City, State, Zip:Blaine, WA 98230
Project Country:United States
PROJECT TEAM
Commissioning Agency:
US General Services Administration, Art in Architecture Program
Agency Website:
Public Art Administrator:
B. Story Swett
Susan Harrison
Administrator's Organization:
US General Services Administration, Art in Architecture Program
Administrator's Website:
Fabricator(s):
Fabricator(s) Organization:
Fabricator(s) Website:
Design Team Organization(s):
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects
Design Team Organization's Website(s):
Design Team Organization's E-mail(s):
Design Team Members:
Public Art Consultant:
PROJECT DETAILS
Type: Permanent
Budget: $200,000
Budget Range:
Funding Type: Public
Work Type: Sculpture
Materials: Metal
Materials Description: steel (stainless)
Year of Creation: 2010
Year in Review Awarded: 2011