“Stories Interweave” 2017
Media: Stainless steel, powder coating, LED lighting, Lumen XT and electronics
Artist: Joe O’Connell
Location: 13800 E Colfax, Aurora, CO 80011
Description:
Stories Interweave consists of eight suspended sculptures painted in warm colors filling the South and North sides of the Colfax Avenue Bridge Station. Each sculpture glows with vibrant color-changing LEDs projecting light onto the surrounding space. The piece was inspired by the variety and diversity of immigrants who have moved to Aurora. The goal is to celebrate the connections between these groups and the current Aurora residents through language thereby creating one piece that represents Aurora’s entire population. The sculptures also reflect larger universal themes of change and human connection.
Artist Biography:
Joe O’Connell, Tucson, AZ. Joe grew up making things and turned that into a career. After a long liberal arts education that spanned four universities he began working for science museums where he designed and built exhibits. He founded Creative Machines in 1995 to design and fabricate interactive exhibits for museums around the world. He began making public art in 2002 in order to reach new audiences. He creates monumental and human-scaled work that is beautiful at first glance but yields deeper rewards with continued interaction. His work is rooted in science, perception, and history.
