Scrim Wall James Carpenter Design Associates		Print This Page Email This Page

Location

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Nancy and Art Schwalm Sculpture Garden

7383 E. 2nd St.

Description

Completed: 1999

Media: Dichroic glass, glass, metal

Update

James Carpenter, artist of SMoCA's Scrim Wall, was recently named a MacArthur Fellow on September 28, 2004.

The MacArthur Fellows Program underscores the importance of the creative individual in society.  Each receipient receives $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years. Fellows are selected for their originality, creativity, and the potential to do more in the future.  Candidates are nominated, evaluated, and selected through a rigorous and confidential process.  No one may apply for the awards, nor are any interviews conducted. To read more about James Carpenter and the award, visit: http://www.macfdn.org/programs/fel/fellows/carpenter_james

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The Glass Scrim Wall is a free-standing exterior wall enclosing an outdoor sculpture garden at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. James Carpenter Design Associates designed the scrim wall as a physical and visual barrier between the new outdoor sculpture garden and the adjacent street. Fifty-six laminated translucent glass panels, each approximately 4' x 7', are hung from a curving steel structure 21' high and 65' long. Between each bay of panels is a row of laminated Dichroic glass blades which cast varying shades of color onto the panels. Glass lamination technology, coupled with a sophisticated, yet simple steel structure, enables large and heavy glass panels to have an appearance of a lightweight lantern.

From the street, the wall acts as a prominent marker for the museum entry. Lit by the intense Arizona sun during the day and by artificial lights at night, it has an intriguing, highly variable presence depending on the quality of light, viewer's proximity, and the direction of approach. As the viewer enters the interior of the sculpture court they will observe the many reflected colors as they bounce off of the white opalescent plaster that composes the exterior of the James Turrell Skyspace, Knight Rise. Carpenter collaborated with architect Will Bruder in designing the wall.

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