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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty One: Using diagonals for guidance, energy, and meaning > Contrails and wind sculpture, Downtown Civic Space Park, Phoenix, Arizona, 2010
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13-MAY-2010

Contrails and wind sculpture, Downtown Civic Space Park, Phoenix, Arizona, 2010

Whenever I photograph this controversial netted sculpture by Janet Echelman, I find it strikingly different. The sun brilliantly colored the piece, intended to symbolize the winds of Arizona’s distinctive monsoon, when I photographed it last year. (See http://www.pbase.com/image/111968245 ) When I visited again this year, while shooting with a tutorial student, the sun was behind a cloud, and the nets of the sculpture showed no color. Instead, I was able to gain expression from a powerful diagonal created by jet contrails in the sky behind the sculpture. These contrails dissolve in the winds of the air stream, while the sculpture itself is based on the swirling thrust of Arizona’s desert winds.

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Phil Douglis17-May-2010 18:20
The geometry created by the abstraction stresses the repeating rhythmic curves of the sculpture and contrasts them to the thrusting diagonal of the fading contrail. It is all about energy. Thanks for seeing it in action here, Iris.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)17-May-2010 01:22
The beauty of getting in close and abstracting the sculpture creates a rhythm of stunning geometry. The fading contrails intensify the beautiful lines and curves of the sculpture.
Tim May16-May-2010 18:51
and... a touch of rainbow.
Phil Douglis16-May-2010 18:46
I just noted the implied rainbow, Tim --just behind the left hand edge of the sculpture. Thanks.
Phil Douglis16-May-2010 18:27
Thanks Claudia and Tim -- by not showing the entire sculpture, I concentrate on those lines, curves and layers that make the image relate more powerfully to the contrail, and express the point at hand.
Tim May16-May-2010 18:25
and... a touch of rainbow.
Tim May16-May-2010 16:54
A symphony of line, curves, and layers.
BleuEvanescence16-May-2010 13:43
Oh Phil! I find this one totally poetic!
Phil Douglis15-May-2010 19:36
It was all of that and more for me, Carol -- I love contrails, particularly when they begin to dissolve and become man man made clouds. I found it fascinating to juxtapose a work of art representing Arizona's winds with the wind-driven contrails and do it with the geometry inherent in both.
Carol E Sandgren15-May-2010 18:44
What a symphony of texture, lines and shapes!! The curvature of these nets do indeed still suggest wind as do the contrails blowing, piercing through them. To me, it's almost a cause and effect type of image. Beautifully done!
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