KRISTEN A. FOX

During a collaborative studio between art and architecture students, we focused on a small neighborhood in Montgomery County, Maryland, that was undergoing a social and economic transformation.  The pressures from the proposed Purple Line metro expansion in the area threatened to change the face of the community at Long Branch, for better or for worse.  We spent the semester as a studio seeking to understand who the community was, about their history, what they valued, and what they wanted for the future of their neighborhood. 

 

We designed an built temporary public sculptures to be unveiled for the first annual 'Super-Block Party' which was held within the community in May of 2013.  The works were inspired by the Public Interest Design Institute which we attended, and the University of Maryland's Kibel Gallery Spring Series, “Agency, Intervention, and the Public Realm,” which I helped to coordinate, fabricate, and install. Our studio worked in partnership with the Montgomery Housing Partnership, the Montgomery County Library system, the Long Branch Business Association and IMPACT Silver Spring. Their combined effort is part of Long Branch’s business revitalization, affordable housing protection and planning and community building efforts.

 

The group that designed and fabricated the organic cocoon form of Thirsty for Change consisted of two graduate architecture students (including myself), and two undergraduate art students.  The piece

developed after several different iterations of possible forms and materials.  Made from 3,444 plastic bottles, it was conceived to elucidate the connection between the natural ecology of the place and how individuals interact with and affect that ecology.  The sculpture is made from competely man-made objects (plastic water bottles), yet refers to natural and organic forms of a cocoon, a cave, or coral.  The form is tied to its environment--it envelopes a tree on one end, and two trees help to enclose a large entry on the other end.  The openings in the cocoon help to frame views of the park.  We also sought to make a piece that invited people to interact and play, which was very successful.

 

Press:

 

Center for Smart Growth: UMD-Designed Public Art Engages the Senses in Long Branch

WJLA ABC News 7: Maryland Students Showcase Works of Art in Long Branch Neighborhood

Just Up the Pike: Montgomery Housing Partnership Makes Long Branch Stronger