#PHL PUBLIC ART

GroundSwell is committed to showcasing how the arts positively impact our communities, and Philadelphia’s vast collection of public art is an integral part of the Philadelphia landscape that enhances our surroundings and is part of the fabric of the city! Each week we will spotlight one of the great pieces of public art that lives in our city. Today, we spotlight Philadelphia’s “Symbiosis” sculpture by Roxy Paine.

 

The Symbiosis sculpture stands tall along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. An arrangement of two stainless-steel trees, the piece is both beautiful and haunting, which is something Paine wanted to convey in the sculpture. “I’m known for work that explores the collision of industry and nature; it consistently blurs the line, it’s about transformation.”

Symbiosis, presented by the Association for Public Art in cooperation with Philadelphia’s Department of Parks & Recreation, is located across a walkway from Mark di Suvero’s Iroquois, which was installed by the Association for Public Art in 2007.

“Public art and space can be a challenge,” Paine says, “but it provides the unique opportunity for art to become a nucleus of energy for a city. My hope is for Symbiosis to become a reference point, a place for gathering or for a moment of quiet contemplation in the midst of frenetic urban life.” Rising 34 feet high, 3.5 ton sculpture was created from standard industrial piping that was welded, formed and polished in the artist’s studio to create two shimmering, interrelated organic forms that both buttress and weigh on one another, referencing the darker aspects of nature and the fierceness of its laws.

Symbiosis has become so popular that it was named “Best new public artwork by Philadelphia Magazine.  Hurry and see the piece before it leaves. It’s on temporary loan for one year!

The Symbiosis sculpture stands tall along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. An arrangement of two stainless-steel trees, the piece is both beautiful and haunting, which is something Paine wanted to convey in the sculpture. “I’m known for work that explores the collision of industry and nature; it consistently blurs the line, it’s about transformation.”

Symbiosis, presented by the Association for Public Art in cooperation with Philadelphia’s Department of Parks & Recreation, is located across a walkway from Mark di Suvero’s Iroquois, which was installed by the Association for Public Art in 2007.

“Public art and space can be a challenge,” Paine says, “but it provides the unique opportunity for art to become a nucleus of energy for a city. My hope is for Symbiosis to become a reference point, a place for gathering or for a moment of quiet contemplation in the midst of frenetic urban life.” Rising 34 feet high, 3.5 ton sculpture was created from standard industrial piping that was welded, formed and polished in the artist’s studio to create two shimmering, interrelated organic forms that both buttress and weigh on one another, referencing the darker aspects of nature and the fierceness of its laws.

Symbiosis has become so popular that it was named “Best new public artwork" by Philadelphia Magazine.  Hurry and see the piece before it leaves. It’s on temporary loan for one year!

 

The work of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is made possible through the generous support of committed individuals and institutions.