The Five Points Park Project Planning Committee and the Norfolk Arts Commission selected Sean Orlando of Engineered Artworks to create interactive artwork for the new Five Points Park.
Artists from around the country submitted applications for this $125,000 public art project. After careful review and interviews with three finalists, Orlando was selected.
The 22-ft. immersive, gateway sculpture welcomes visitors at the southeast entrance to the new park .
“Resilience” serves as a gathering place, and an interactive space for creative contemplation within the park and the busy Five Points neighborhood.
The dome reflects the nearby urban form of the circular intersection. The open canopy is formed by blades that simulate growing grass.
Engineered Artworks, led by founder Sean Orlando, is a group of artists, designers, fabricators, and engineers that make large-scale art come to life. Based in the innovative Seaport Art Studios Building in Richmond, California, they design and build one-of-a-kind public art installations and immersive creative experiences, while supporting a broad community of artists and organizations with fabrication and technical design services.
Orlando states, “I wanted to create a piece that represented the interconnectedness of the neighborhood and community. This piece is made up of 23 unique and individual blades of grass that come together to support each other within a unified circular form. When I think of trees, branches and blades of grass, I am reminded of the tremendous ability that nature possesses to bend under pressure before breaking. Members of the Norview community are all unique hard-working individuals, and when we come together as a community to support each other with common purpose, we are stronger.”
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The artist team at work
