COLORADO BLIZZARD | ONE RIVER NORTH
Specialty wall treatment/custom ceramic art for luxury housing. One River North, Denver Colorado in collaboration with Sweeney Co. Art Advisors.
COLORADO BLIZZARD FOR ONE RIVER NORTH
A custom art piece commissioned by Sweeney Art Advisors for the residential building in Denver, One River North, this is a ceramic and glaze interpretation of the historic Colorado blizzard that affected Denver in March of 2021. It is permanently installed on-site in a high-use public space.
One River North, designed by Beijing-based MAD Architects and Denver’s Davis Partnership, features a 10-story landscaped canyon carved into the building's 16-story façade, with a waterfall between the 8th and 6th floors. Throughout the structure, plant life and native vegetation echo the natural surroundings.
Kala finds inspiration in the power and spiritual resonance of the natural world, specifically this significant historical weather event. This Colorado Blizzard was the fourth largest blizzard in Denver’s history, which blanketed the area with over 27 inches of snow on March 13-14, 2021.
Employing the medium of ceramics, Kala translates the effects of natural elements and the ephemeral weather patterns captured by satellite imagery into a tangible and enduring form. The artwork consists of 66 handmade clay tiles, each poured over with an off-white glaze, evoking a sense of fluidity and humanity, and reflecting the ever-evolving landscape of our planet.
Each tile is hand formed to 14.75" x 6.75" x 3/8” thick, made of Electric Brown Clay, Laguna Clay Company. The tiles are manipulated to resemble a worn paper map, with softened edges and an irregular texture achieved through hand manipulation.
As the kiln's intense heat fossilizes the hand formed marks in the clay, the artwork becomes a memorial to the transformative power of both creation and destruction and is a reflection of the urgent need to cherish and preserve the delicate aspects of our planet's natural ecosystems.
Scored on the back with a toothed rib, softened edges, and hand-manipulated for an irregular texture
2023-2024 Made in Sonoma, California, USA
