As rose as rain

2018
Painted carbon steel, stainless steel, Koda XT (polycarbonate)
8’4” x 16’ x 16’
Location: Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, Colorado Springs
Commissioned by: Colorado Creative Industries

As Rose as Rain is a hybrid of a park bench, a porch swing, a gazebo, and a playground spring rider. It creates an iconic destination on the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind campus by combining strong visual elements, user participation, and motion. The circular bench, for up to a dozen people, rocks and sways as it is supported by four large compression springs. It’s possible to relax and gently rock on the bench or to go for a ride, much the same way kids enjoy a spring-rider in a playground. The dynamics of compression springs and their uneven spacing means the structure responds differently depending on where one sits and how many people are sitting on the bench. One can see students stopping at the bench to relax or a teacher deciding to use the bench as an outdoor classroom.

The artwork’s sloped canopy includes nine translucent colored polycarbonate skylights that rock along with the bench. On sunny days, the canopy’s shadow and color projections on the ground move in sync with the bench. The canopy also creates a passive water feature as it collects rainwater (or snow) that drains through a hole and splashes on the ground into a circular gravel-filled drain.