You may have seen our previous post featuring the video of the new Wire by Design water sculpture in Washington, DC. The Tricorn, as the work has now been named, is in Monroe Memorial Park on 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The work was commissioned by the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities and Golden Triangle BID. It is located on federal land belonging to the National Park Service within the perimeter of the National Mall.
According to the artist who created the Tricorn, the idea was to place this triangular prism, that sets foot off center inside the basin of the park, with one vertex pointing north, another pointing south west towards George Washington University and a third vertex pointing south east towards the White House. This way, the base of the sculpture becomes a symbol relating four presidents in a memorial park devoted to one among them, James Monroe; the last founding father to hold office. By positioning this sculpture in such a manner, the artist's intent was to convey the institutional continuity that unites all presidents. The base of the sculpture is then a triangular figure that points to Washington, to Lincoln and to Obama. The artwork evokes a mathematical allegory with three moments in history; the Revolution, the Civil War and the advent of the first African American to lead the United States from the Oval Office. As it goes: 1 plus 5, plus 16 is 22, that multiplied by 2 yields the number 44. Washington, Lincoln and Obama are thus united by a triangle, in the land dedicated to President Monroe.
About the artist:
Duilio Passariello, born in Venezuela and trained in Europe, now works and lives in Washington DC. He is an artist exploring sculpture with lighting, from the monumental to the very small.
The mesh itself is “Keeper” in 316 stainless steel. There are a total of 18 lights inside the Tricorn, constantly changing colors and patterns.
For more information on Wire by Design, contact SDC at (714) 680-6063 or visit the Wire by Design Partners page.