SELECTED WORK

RARA AVIS

approx. 28’h x 15’w x 15’d

collaboration with Stuart Schechter
material: cast metal/stainless cable
architect: A. Epstein & Sons., Chicago, IL
project team: Andrea Scofield, Chris Taylor, Sarah Rodrigo
site: Midway Airport, Chicago, IL
commissioned by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

Rara Avis is an epic suspended sculpture poetically linking natural and manmade aviation.

Comprised of thousands of precisely suspended pewter elements, the artwork employs a three-dimensional Pointillism wherein numerous small sculptures coalesce into a large evanescent composite form.

Travelers approaching the center of Midway Airport’s new passenger terminal will perceive a monumental image of a cardinal. Upon closer examination a perceptual shift occurs as the large avian form reveals itself to be composed of over 1800 small aircraft.

A wide spectrum of these component elements is rendered, ranging from Leonardo-inspired designs to 19th century balloons to classic passenger airliners to 21st century spacecraft.

Over fifty different aircraft are represented, all distinct, and all coming together to render a macrocosmic image of the Illinois state bird.