When Nasher Sculpture Center first announced plans for its 10th anniversary Nasher Xchange public art project, Nasher director Jeremy Strick said that the sculptures being commissioned wouldn't simply be placed around the city with no relation to location.
That is certainly the case with the announcement of the first of the 10 sculptures, a yet-to-be-named piece by Los Angeles artist Ruben Ochoa which will be displayed at the Trinity River Audubon Center.
Ochoa's forte is in transforming common material like fence posts and concrete footings into works of art, which he will also do with this piece. Ochoa says he chose TRAC as the location for his sculpture specifically because of its history as a former illegal dumping site, now transformed into a nature preserve all can enjoy.
Ochoa says the piece will evoke the movement of birds, with metal posts and concrete leaning as if being blown by the wind.
"The nature of the work came from very disparate ideas," Ochoa says. "I borrowed liberally from popular culture, such as Angry Birds; modern art like Brancusi's 'Bird in Space'; and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds."
The remaining nine sculptures and locations will be announced in the next 10 weeks. All of the sculptures will be in place when the Nasher Xchange project officially opens on October 19 and remain on display through February 16, 2014.
The Trinity River Audubon Center will the location of one of 10 sculptures as part of the upcoming Nasher Xchange program.
