I ought to

2017
Corten, carbon & stainless steel, cast iron, cast glass, concrete
9’ x 14’ x 14’
Location: Myrtle Avenue pedestrian plaza (550 Myrtle Ave btw Emerson Place & Steuben Street)
Commissioned by: the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Design and Construction.

I ought to is a trio of round stools capped by a circular corten steel and hand-cast glass concave canopy. The canopy is a witty conflation of the pedestrian and the sacred: a 19th century illuminated manhole cover enlarged to the size of a rose window, a standard feature of gothic cathedrals. The glass casting method allows for idiosyncrasies in the glass (color, pattern, transparency, air bubbles) while ensuring that the shape is consistent. Small steel medallions and linear braids also adorn the underside of the canopy, much the same way they are used on manhole covers for both functional and decorative purposes. On rainy days, water drains from the center of the canopy through a 12-inch oculus, creating a diminutive passive water feature in the middle of the work. At night, a spotlight mounted on a nearby lamppost illuminates the glass.

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