The Northampton Arts Council240 Main StreetRoom 5, Memorial HallNorthampton, MA 01060

railroad bridge public art / proposal / april 6, 2010

Project title, project team, and summary

Title: “Curtain.”

Project Team: J. Seth Hoffman, LEED AP

Penn Ruderman, AIA, LEED AP

Meera Deean, LEED AP

We see the request for art at the Northampton railroad bridge not as a call to decorate a bridge but as an opportunity to re-imagine a gateway into the cultural and commercial heart of the city as an evocative threshold.

We propose screening the width of the railroad bridge with a translucent sculpture, depicting a realistic draped curtain.

“Curtain” has many referents. The curtained proscenium provides a tangible focus to the anticipation that precedes a performance. The depiction of cloth in sculpture conceals the solid forms beneath it but also animates those forms. The drapery on windows creates a layered view that blurs the relationship between inside and out. Fabric acts as a screen which can both defuse and capture light.

“Curtain” borrows from each of these points of inspiration. It will soften views of the tops of downtown buildings, heightening a sense of expectation and discovery. It will subtly reveal the heavy steel infrastructure beneath it. It will capture daylight, and glow on sunny days, an arresting image that will cause one to pause before complet-ing the passage into downtown.

“Curtain” will be a broadly accessible metaphor for announcing a visitor’s entry into Northampton.

design process schematic

1. half-scale curtain mock-up

will be scanned by a FARO or

similar laser scanner

2. raw “point cloud” data is

recorded

3. “point cloud” data is processed

into a virtual 3D “mesh” from

which sections, plans, and criti-

cal dimensions can be extracted.

Concept description: As artists we are fascinated by the transposition of a fluid, flexible, material into sculpture. The accurate depiction of fabric has challenged and excited artists for centuries. As architects we are interested in the introduction of something light and apparently delicate into the public realm and how this effects our perception of the city. The “Curtain” project broaches both these concerns.

Appropriateness: We believe that a public art work should strive to have resonance for everyone it serves. The site for this project is animated by cars, people moving on the sidewalks, bicycles on the bike path crossing, as well as the occasional freight train. It is a place where one’s awareness of movement is heightened. “Curtain” will suggest the registration of other, gentler forces. Rather than conveying a specific message, “Curtain” is a specific response to a set of materials and their fabrication focused on making this qualitative experience tangible.

Materials: white translucent silicone sheet, fiberglass unistrut components, and steel parts.

Design process: The design process is outlined schematically below. First, a half-scale mock-up of the curtain, using actual fabric, will be set up in a rented space. The form of the curtain will be carefully adjusted to achieve the desired drape and spacing. Photographs will be taken of the mock-up and collaged onto images of the bridge to test various configurations. Using laser scanning technology, a digital image of the positioned curtain will be produced, from which precise measurements can be obtained to guide the set up of the curtain’s support structure.

bridge girder“curtain” installation

align

+/- 1

1’-0

”TO

RO

AD

WAY

SECTION DETAIL

EXPLODED VIEW

SUPPORT (UNISTRUT & MISC. STEEL)

BRIDGE GIRDER

CURTAIN SURFACE

1-5/8” x 1-5/8” heavy duty fiberglass channel

channel fitting

beam clamp

threaded rod

T shape & angle. anglewelded to bridge steel

suage type

1/8” white translucent

silicone sheet

Materials: white translucent silicone sheet, fiberglass unistrut components, and steel parts. “Curtain” will be an articulated surface of translucent silicone sheeting. Multiple panels will be composed to allow for gaps and overlaps. Each section will be supported by a matrix of galvanized steel rods attached to fiberglass unistrut stantions. By varying the vertical and horizontal position of rods, and varying the sheeting’s attachment point alongs each rod’s length, the material will be “sculpted” into the desired form.

Construction method: Using dimensions obtained from the digital “curtain” model, hole patterns for the sheeting and attachment locations on the rods and unistrut will be determined. The proposed system of rods and unistrut will allow for infinite flexible adjustment. Each panel will then be set up in the off-site location to prepare for installation.

Installation method: Once the steel connections have been welded to the bridge the fiberglass stantions can travel to the bridge with the rods attached. Once installed the silicone sheeting can be “blanketed” over the structure at the site and fixed in place.

Structural issues & projected maintenance: Silicone sheeting has many benefits as a material for public installations. Its surface will be smooth, making it easy to remove graffiti. It is flexible and will not dent. The material is UV resistant and chemically inert. The fiberglass structure also has maintenaince benefits. If subject to a high impact the material will crack rather than bend, tending to localized failures. Because there will be a great many of the vertical stantions the system will be redundant and the failure of one or two due to a high impact will not compromise the structure. Also, because “Curtain” will be assembled from many separate panels, if one is damaged it can be replaced without having to upset the entire composition. Holes on the curtain for the rods as well as the overlaps of panels will allow wind to pass through the piece, reducing wind loads. Maintenance will include hosing off the surface as necessary to remove dirt and grime from the roadway.

The structural elements of the project will add another level pattern to the composition. Support rods projecting through the translucent sheeting will cast an ever-changing pattern of shadow. The undulating surface of the curtain will be seen against the vertical datum set by the ends of the rods. Visible both behind and through the sheeting the vertical support structure combines with the vertical rhythm of the curtain folds.

“Curtain” will have a playful relationship with the heavy steel and stone infrastructure it

both conceals and animates.

The site for this project is a place where one’s awareness of movement is heightened. “Curtain” will suggest the registration of other, gentler, forces.

Curtain will align to the bottom edge of the bridge structure and the implied height of the neighboring buildings on Bridge Street. The continuity of the curtain surface will help give spatial definition to this portion of downtown that is currently an ambiguous urban edge.