HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.5 - 2728 Dog Park Art Selection
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STAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
DATE: July 16, 2019
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:
Christopher L. Foss, City Manager
SUBJECT:
Dog Park Replacement Art Selection
Prepared by: Tegan McLane, Cultural Arts & Heritage Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council will consider replacement art for the Dougherty Hills Dog Park.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the public art design by Tellart for the Dougherty Hills Dog Park.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The adopted Capital Improvement Project budget for Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Replacement Art (PK0219) is $26,680, including $20,000 for improvements (payment to
artist). The funding source is the Public Art Fund. Both design proposal budgets
encompass the full $20,000 budget.
DESCRIPTION:
At its October 17, 2017 regular meeting, the City Council voted to deaccession Michele
Alcantara’s Animal Series sculptures at Dougherty Hills Dog Park and replace the
artwork with new artwork that will be better able to withstand environmental issues.
On May 1, 2019 the art selection committee consisting of Dublin residents Maria Duffey,
Gina Gabriell, Matthew Giller, Sammy Jo Rudy and Georgean VonHeeder -Leopold
heard design proposals from six artists (or artist teams) who submitted as part of an
open call. Artists were Colin Selig, Craig Gary, Nico and John Meyer, Joey Rose,
Amanda Pearman, and Tellart.
Committee members ranked the six submissions, with one being their first choice and
six being their last choice. In the initial ranking vote, proposals from Joey Rose and
Tellart were tied for first place.
After some discussion on the merits of each design, the committee held a tie -breaker
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vote, which Tellart won 3 to 2. However, because votes for the two designs were so
close, members of the committee agreed to forward both to the Heritage and Cultural
Arts Commission for a final decision.
Both proposed pieces were reviewed by the City’s contract art conservator and City
staff and based on these reviews, Staff concurred with the committee’s
recommendation - Tellart’s piece, Dogs of Dublin.
The Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission considered this item at its June 13, 2019
regular meeting and voted to advance the Tellart proposal, 4 -1, on a motion by Vice
Chair Kathy Blackburn, and seconded by Commissioner Steve Minniear, with
Commissioner Robert Bennett opposed and Commissioners Kit Lau and Sammy Jo
Rudy absent.
The Parks and Community Services Commission also considered this item at its June
17, 2019 regular meeting and voted unanimously to recommend the Tellart artwork, on
a motion by Commission Sameer Hakim, seconded by Student Representative Shaina
Goel.
Berkeley-based design studio Tellart, with lead artist Emily Leighton, has proposed to
conduct a community photo shoot at the dog park to gather silhouettes of actual Dublin
dogs, which will then be laser cut from steel, powder coated, and affixed to the chain
link fence that surrounds the dog park. The artwork would primarily be affixed to
outward facing surfaces in the front and on sides. (Attachment 1). Staff will work with
the artist to ensure the dogs are mounted high enough on the fence to protect them
from damage from the string mower.
Because Tellart will provide the City with digital files for each dog, and the dogs are
constructed and affixed to the fence in a manner similar to standard park signage, Staff
believes it will be relatively easy and low-cost to replace any individual dog cutouts that
become damaged.
Absent any deliberate or accidental damage, Tellart has estimated a likely a rt lifespan of
15 years. The art conservator has recommended the City may wish to classify this piece
as temporary art, to avoid the obligation to the artist of long -term maintenance. The City
could, of course, still choose to maintain temporary art to pro long the life of the piece.
Staff recommends that the City Council approve Tellart’s Dogs of Dublin design for
replacement artwork at the Dougherty Hills Dog Park.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
N/A
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
Flyers announcing this meeting were posted at the Dougherty Hills Dog Park.
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ATTACHMENTS:
1. Tellart Public Art Proposal for Dougherty Hills Dog Park
About Tellart
Experience Design Studio
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Tellart is a collaborative group of artists and designers, founded in 2000. We are a
team of industrial + graphic designers, engineers, filmmakers + architects. Our work
aims to engage the world in new and transformative ways.
-
Tellart began its work as an information design consultancy, focused on providing
engaging visual explanations of complex phenomena and experiences. Today Tellart
draws its talent from cutting edge design and engineering graduates and faculty at
RISD, MIT, CIID, CCA among others.
--
Tellart’s craft comes from a strategic design approach and culture of continuous
experimentation. The commitment to high-level aesthetics evolves from a willingness
to embrace ambiguity in visualizing new artforms. This combination inspires the
creation of meaningful experiences by visualizing the invisible.
In 2016 Tellart received the National Design Award in Interaction Design. Bestowed by
the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Award celebrates outstanding
achievement in design through excellence, innovation, and enhancement of the quality
of life.
We have been awarded numerous top international prizes for our work including the
SXSW Experimental Award, Cannes Lions, Webby, Core77, D&AD Yellow Pencil and our
work is featured in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Design Museum
EMILY LEIGHTON
Senior Designer
Exhibit Design Assistant
Research and Evaluation Assistant
Exhibit Development Intern
Educational Resources Intern
Curator,
Docent
Biography
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
MDes, Interior Architecture
M.A., Museum Studies
B.A.,Visual Arts History and Criticism
BRIAN HINCH
Head of Production
Technology Director
Principal, Research and Development
Information Designer
Biography
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design
ZAZA ZUILHOF
Lead Designer,
Interaction Designer,
Interaction Designer,
Exhibition & Interaction Designer
Sterk Water Co-Founder,
Interaction Designer
Print Designer
Biography
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Master Level Interaction Design
Bachelor of Science Industrial Design
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Tellart 1 Crown Sky Garden, 2012
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Tellart 2 de Youngster’s Studio, 2018
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Tellart 3 Color Visualizer, 2014
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Tellart 4 Van Gogh Dreams, 2018
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Tellart 5 Teleportation Binoculars, 2013
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Tellart 6 Sound Affects, 2012
Image 5: Teleportation Binoculars, 2013, Sydney Opera House, Installation
Tellart and Google Creative Lab created the Binoculars to celebrate the 40th
birthday of the Sydney Opera House—and its inscription to the UNESCO World
Heritage List. Tellart reinvented a timeless icon of street furniture, combining it with
Google's Street View technology to create surprising moments of teleportation.
Expecting a universally familiar tourist experience, visitors peering into the
binoculars were instead transported from where they stood to sister World Heritage
sites all over the world.
Image 6: Sound Affects, 2012, Parsons the New School of Design, Installation
SoundAffects translated the sensory overflow of a New York City street into a
serene audiovisual expression of a moment in time and space. A wall with embedded
sensors and lights observed its surroundings, harmonising yellow cabs with evening
rain and jackhammers. Viewers could plug into the active wall installation and be
transported to different parts of the city live through sound. The experiential effects
were one of harmonizing urban dwellers with the symphony of their own movement.
Budget information for all projects available upon request.
Image List
Image 1: Crown Sky Garden, 2012, Children’s Hospital, Chicago, installation
Interactive garden wall and benches offers a sanctuary for patients, families and staff
within this 23 story building. Built upon growing scientific research which links access
to natural spaces to reduced patient recovery time.
Image 2: deYoungster’s Studio, 2018, de Young Museum, Mixed Media Installation
Interactive children's space demonstrates the five principles of art making: Color,
Composition, Shape and Form, Texture and Sculpture. Tellart implemented this
exciting new experiential learning environment that will engage kids and adults alike.
Image 3: Color Visualizer, 2014, Cal. Academy of Sciences, Mixed Media Installation
Central feature for the Color of Life exhibit, creatively exploring the role of color in the
natural world. This interactive, multisensory installation invited visitors to discover
stories from the Academy's vast collection of 46 million scientific specimens,
highlighting the interconnectedness of life on Earth.
Image 4: Van Gogh Dreams, 2018, Van Gogh Museum, Mixed Media Installation.
Van Gogh Dreams is a narrative installation that brings the visitor from Paris to Van
Gogh’s residence in Arles. In five different spaces which the visitor can walk through,
the story of this turbulent period is told. This image shows one of the spaces featuring
custom glass sunflowers.
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
References
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Sheila Pressley
Director of Education
de Young Museum
San Francisco, CA
Contact email: spressley@famsf.org
Contact phone 415-750-7641
Scott Moran
Director of Exhibit Design & Production
California Academy of Sciences
San Francisco, CA
Contact email: smoran@calacademy.org
Contact phone 415 379-5196
Joshua Horne
Director of BAD Studio
Richmond Arts Council Member
Richmond, CA
Contact email: josh@badstud.io
Contact phone: 510 859-5202
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Rendering
The rendering only shows a small section of the
overall artwork. The actual work would include
life size silhouettes of 60 to 100 dogs.
Narrative
Dogs of Dublin is a colorful and community-generated art piece. This work consists of
a series of brightly-colored silhouettes of dogs, including many who actually use the
park. The silhouettes will be arranged around the park’s existing perimeter fencing.
Their coloring would vary, following an ombre pattern inspired by the colors seen at
dusk over the park’s nearby hills. Between 50 and 100 life-sized silhouettes will be
installed along 100 to 200 feet of existing fence line.
We take inspiration from silhouette-making which gained prominence in the 18th
century, where portraits of people in profile were the main subject. However, this
tradition also included dogs. Augustin Edouart, one of the most famous silhouette
artists of the 19th century, included dogs among his portraits. The tradition of
silhouettes in artwork remains today, in artists like Kara Walker and William Kentridge
The actual silhouettes will be generated from photos taken of dogs who currently use
the park, using a generative algorithm we will manipulate these photos into the
ultimate forms seen in the artwork. We are excited to combine a traditional form,
creative technology and direct connection to the community.
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Installation
Fabrication
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Generative
Algorithm
Artist manipulation
Community
photo shoot
Laser cutting Powder coating
Generative Design and Procedural Fabrication
Our community’s dog companions are many and varied; the park’s artwork should
reflect this. To this we bring our collective’s long-standing interest in the way
technology can empower creativity.
We would start by staging a community photo day at the park, where we would set up
our portable green screen rig. We would photograph every dog willing to volunteer for
the shoot and speak with the people in attendance about the project. Silhouettes are
then created from the photographs, which are added into a generative algorithm to
create many more silhouettes.
The shapes are then sent to the laser cutter, which, in turn, creates the final steel
forms. These steel forms then have their mounting hardware attached, and are moved
to powder coating. There, a permanent pigment finish is baked onto each piece,
completely sealing it from water and other damage. Finally, we move all of the
silhouettes to the park where we will install them along the fence line.
Fabricators: Laser cutting step is done at Seaport Stainless (Richmond, CA) and
powder coating step is done at Leon’s Powder Coating (Oakland, CA). We have worked
with both shops several times previously.
Maintenance
Materials and finishes for the artwork have been selected specifically for their
durability. Maintenance, if any, should be similar to that of outdoor signage, such as
occasionally spray-down from a hose to remove mud.
The artwork is designed to survive being within reach of both dogs and humans. The
powder coating finish will withstand exposure to dog urine and normal landscape
upkeep products such as fertilizer.
Proposed installation procedure:
1.Two installers are needed to install one silhouette
2.First installer holds steel silhouette in desired position, with mounting clip
resting within one of the “diamonds” of the chain-link fence.
3.Second installer places retaining plate onto rear of bracket from other side
of fence
4.Second installer tightens two bolts using a portable driver
5.Proceed to next silhouette
Installation and Maintenance
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
After installation, work covers approx. 4 ft. (h) x 100 ft. (w)
Materials
Silhouettes are 14 gauge cold-rolled carbon steel
Mounting hardware are commercial off-the-shelf brackets used for attaching signage
to chain link fence
Part Specifications
Individual silhouette sizes vary between large and small units:
Materials and Specifications
Finishes
Fasteners are galvanized steel exterior-grade sheet metal screws
Steel parts are finished with ASTM D3451-conformant powder coatings from Cardinal.
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
PMS 2765 PMS 2617 PMS 7649 PMS 227 PMS 1805
PMS 1797 PMS 485 PMS 1655 PMS 144
9.6 in.43.2 in.
36 in.
Large Unit
10.8 in.
Small Unit
Timeline + Budget
Dougherty Hills Dog Park
Art Proposal
Timeline:
May + June: Planning, Community
Photography day, generating algorithm, final
color specifications and layout.
July: Metal fabrication and painting
August: Installation (3 days)
Based on Art Council approval, timeline could
be shortened and implemented earlier.
Budget:
Item Cost
Steel and Fabrication $3,200
Powder Coating $1,500
Hardware $500
Interpretive Plaque $300
Photography $1,500
Design time + studio staff $3,200
Cut file preparation + pre-check $2,000
Field coordination $2,100
Project management $1,800
Installation Assistance $3,600
Transportation of artwork $300
Total $20,000