Eco-Equation by David Lee Edwards, multiple artists

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A community group, the Bloomfield–Garfield Corporation, teamed up with ecoDesigners Guild on their Green+Screen project. The goal is to make improvements to empty lots and eyesores in the community. Some projects are designed to screen the clutter or run–down area from view. Other projects work to make physical improvements through landscaping efforts. This is one of the two current art projects built to enhance the space, but made so that they can be relocated if the lot is later developed. This is the other one.

The green in the Green+Screen is for the use of recycled materials and plants. In this particular project, it’s also about generating it’s own power through solar and wind energy. The energy it creates is used to light the sculpture at night (with LEDs of course – since this is a green project!).

The lead artist on this sculpture is David Lee Edwards, and on the website for his Art Energy Design he states that In the public arts I never forget that the composition is indeed for the public and that all themes represented must serve well the landscape in which they reside. How apparent that is when you compare this piece with the mural that he did on the Northside (East Allegheny neighborhood) for Deutschtown. Completely different styles and mediums for completely different neighborhoods and messages.

Welcome to Deutschtown by David Lee Edwards

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From a press release about the dedication of Welcome to Deutschtown:

The mural is designed as a visually compelling artwork to serve as a celebratory gateway for the Historic Deutschtown neighborhood. This design honors the architecture and historic identity of the Northside community while paying tribute to the communities’ significant contributions to cultural life. As Pittsburgh Celebrates Glass in 2007 the mural fittingly exalts the artistry and craftsmanship of Pittsburgh’s architectural glassworks. The immediate intent of the mural is to capture the public attention and hold it, first by the awe of an encounter with a brilliantly backlit stained glass window, then generating curiosity in the details of the design. Recalling the wonder of seeing a stained glass window in sunlight for the first time is key to the vicarious success of the project. To this end the viewer is engaged by a painting of a towering clerestory facade tempered by a calming and familiar church-like theme. Nine crests featured within the windows are a proud reminder of the towns of origin for the early inhabitants of Historic Deutschtown. The mural memorializes cherished old world values such as hometown pride, orderliness, spirituality and attention to detail. The symmetry of the work respects the historic cultural affinity for managing complexity with coherence and order. A balance is then struck between the geometric order of the piece and it’s relevance to the past. A silhouette of a musician playing a piano by candlelight adds a whimsical touch and draws the viewer’s attention through the glass into the interior of the building itself. The piano playing maestro, dressed in period clothing, pays homage to the ongoing importance of music and entertainment in the cultural life of the neighborhood. My public art projects grow from a responsibility to the audience. This is the public in the art. D.L. Edwards