A Life Cycle Story
Denver Public Art 1%
2021.3.1
"A Life Cycle Story" is an interactive sculpture of steel screen panels located near the south-facing exterior of Denver’s Smiley Branch Library. The artist, Maureen Hearty, plasma cut by hand a six-part story of the dandelion’s life cycle from steel sheet metal. The panels contain cut-outs of dandelion imagery that reflect a playful storyline of dandelions and small birds. The six sculptural screens are linked together by aluminum pipes which act as an interactive sound component. "Dandelion Love," a short, illustrated story book, also created by Maureen Hearty, accompanies the sculpture as a place-making endeavor; connecting the community to the sculpture and the sculpture to Smiley Library and Berkeley Park. Visitors may borrow a hand mallet from the main library desk to “play” the sculpture and access the book at the front desk inside Smiley Library.
Artist's statement:
“'A Life Cycle Story' creates a moment of reflection on the beauty of common simplicity, a break from a world full of sadness and strain. Each illustration was framed into a panel to come together like a short, fold-out book, or Japanese screen. I chose the dandelion flower for its easily recognizable form; often under celebrated and under-appreciated, just like our libraries. And like our libraries, the dandelion can bring beauty, joy, mindfulness, and wellness to our communities. Each panel has a playful bird enjoying the dandelions' growing process, with two loving birds comforting each other in the final phase."
Artist's statement:
“'A Life Cycle Story' creates a moment of reflection on the beauty of common simplicity, a break from a world full of sadness and strain. Each illustration was framed into a panel to come together like a short, fold-out book, or Japanese screen. I chose the dandelion flower for its easily recognizable form; often under celebrated and under-appreciated, just like our libraries. And like our libraries, the dandelion can bring beauty, joy, mindfulness, and wellness to our communities. Each panel has a playful bird enjoying the dandelions' growing process, with two loving birds comforting each other in the final phase."
[vimeo src=https://player.vimeo.com/video/676453761]
Maureen Hearty (artist)