A Fusion of Art & Utility

In 1975 Christo wrapped 25 miles of Marin County in fabric fencing. It was astonishing! And before that he constructed an orange curtain which filled a Colorado valley in 1972. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Guggenheim in New York which was not completed until 1959.

The Stag Fountain is a vanishing edge pool at the Palace of Versaille built in the early 1600’s. While all are considered works of art, only the Guggenheim actually filled a need – to house a collection of art. And yet all inspire us to see our world in a different way.

If we create only to fill a need; to make a bowl to hold water, to construct a shelter to stay warm, to cover a patio to shield us from the sun, the results might look quite different. Our work and our products focus on shading and wind protection, and we work on a somewhat smaller scale than Christo or Versaille…. But occasionally we get to work on projects which are initially intended as sculpture and the utility they offer is but a by-product of the design. We may be inspired by a curve of steel, a cut of fabric, or a client’s desire for some feature at their home or business. In the end the project may indeed afford shade, screening or protection, but the fabric and steel with which they are constructed are works of art.