SHIFTING TOTEMS
Client: City of Cleveland
Location: Cleveland, OH
Service: Community Workshops, Design, Fabrication, Installation
Date Installed: 08/2019
Features: Interior Design Magazine, Codaworx Magazine, and more…
Awards: Interior Design Magazine - Best of the Year Honoree
Shifting Totems was created as a landmark that would spark a moment of pride, empowerment, and inspiration within the Glenville community in Cleveland, Ohio. We designed the piece with the community through a series of participatory design workshops. This is an integral part of the process for us in creating this work to make sure the community feels a sense of ownership over the work and that it represents them and their neighborhood. Glenville is a community that has dealt with a lot of adversity and inequity throughout its past and also present times. The community wanted to pay homage to the fight and growth that the neighborhood has gone through and gained from to empower future generations to be the best they can be. With this design, we wanted to create a moment that would use playful interactions to spark conversations on the neighborhood’s past, present, and future. It becomes an opportunity for people to stop and engage not just with the work but with each other. Creating a moment to begin to share, listen, and learn from one another.
“It puts an exclamation point on the park”
The piece is a series of three aluminum totems that appear to be growing from the ground and creating a connection between the two local neighborhoods. The form and green color of the pieces represent growth and create a connection to the park’s surrounding natural context. The units begin to taper down in height from 9’ to 6’ in height as they guide one down toward the center of the park. As one walks up to the pieces, they notice that they can rotate the totems’ elements to create different words. The words chosen with the help of the community are meant to spark conversation and discussion. Some of the words that can be created include vote, knowledge, power, strong, and more. There are also holes cut into the totems to allow users to frame different areas of the neighborhood. At the base of each totem is seating that provides an opportunity for people to converse about the messages left behind. These messages left on the totems can be seen from all sides of the park as residents pass by or through the park. Shifting Totems is about sparking a moment of positivity within someone’s day and providing the neighborhood with an installation they would be proud of.
“The work activates the park and connects both sides of the neighborhood. ”
During our design workshops, the community consistently brought up the symbolism of a tree and its growth as a critical component in the design. So, the piece was designed as a series of sprouting aluminum totems that become landmarks that can be seen from a distance. The work lines the walkway of the park connecting the two neighborhoods.
