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Needle and Spindle

Rochester, New York

2012

Description

Needle and Spindle is a work of art comprised of two sculptures. The sculptures refer to the history of the North Goodman St. neighborhood, once a center of textile manufacturing. The adaptive reuse of the site for residential and retail and its incorporation into the Rochester Art Walk have signaled another change in the areas of urban history. The transformation of historic textile tools, a needle, and a spindle, into elegant sculptures, reimagines the history of the site for its contemporary context. The two sculptures are made of 1/2” diameter stainless steel rods. At 26’ in height, the sculptures are scaled to the street where a traffic median has been redesigned and necked down to serve as their pedestal. The sculptures are part of the roadway and a pedestrian crosswalk infrastructure that passes between them. The two sculptures create volumes which fill with sunlight during the day and will be illuminated with LED light at night. The ensemble of sculptures serves as a beacon for the activities of Art Walk, making a visual connection to University Ave and the Memorial Art Gallery, in Rochester. The simple infrastructure of the roadway has been made into a pedestal for the sculpture that extends to the surrounding community.

Information

Needle and Spindle -  - Projects - Cliff Garten Studio

Location
Rochester, NY

Date
2012

Medium
Stainless Steel, LED Lights

Dimensions
23’ H x 1’-6” L x 1’-6” D

Commisioned by
City of Rochester

Engineer
Patrell Engineering, Glendora CA

Subcontractors
Metal Arts Foundry

Client Reference
Paul Way, Project Manager for the City of Rochester

Photography 
James Cavanaugh