Three semifinalists have been selected to move forward in the Passageways 2.0 competition. Passageways seeks to reimagine Downtown Chattanooga alleyways through art and architecture installations. Through an open request for proposals (RFP) process that began in early fall 2017, 45 total proposals were submitted for Passageways 2.0 representing 11 countries including the United States, Italy, France, Canada, Malaysia, India and China.
The 45 proposals were evaluated by a design jury comprised of international award winning architect Georgie King, highly acclaimed urban planner Mike Lydon, round one Passageways winner William Feuerman and widely known sculptor Chakaia Booker. Design jury feedback was given to a local selection committee who narrowed the field to three utilizing the official process of Public Art Chattanooga.
“Passageways 2.0 presented our participants with a whole new set of design challenges than the first round of installations - we were excited at the level of interest in Chattanooga, and the creative responses that the teams came up with,” states Jason Ennis, Architectural Designer at Cogent Studio and Passageways Co-Curator. “We are excited to continue to create these spaces that highlight how quality design and innovative thinking can create invaluable spaces our entire community can enjoy.”
The three semifinalist teams will be rewarded a $3000 stipend each; teams will participate in a site visit in early 2018 to view the alley and meet with local stakeholders to further develop proposed ideas. The site specific designs are tasked with creating a vibrant pedestrian corridor that is adaptable for use as a small public event space and permanently activates the 6,200 square foot alleyway located behind the new Market City Center mixed use 10 story development at 728 Market Street. This alley is publically accessible from three entrances: through the Market City Center indoor arcade, from East 7th Street and from the 700 block of Cherry Street where a round one Passageways winner, Office Feuerman from Sydney, Australia, has donated their Urban Chandelier installation to transform this temporary alleyway installation into a permanent art piece for our city.
“Design teams from around the world were once again proposing incredible ideas for our city,” states Kim White, CEO of River City Company. “We are excited to see what the semifinalists develop over the next few months that will create what we know will be an incredible public space that’s uniquely Chattanooga.”
The semifinalists are:
· Alley Grass (NEW OFFICE from Boston, Mass.) – yellow interactive sculptures that mimic large scale blades of grass that gently glow at night. Team members include Dai Ren and Steven Karvelius.
· City Thread (SPORTS from Syracuse, New York) – an art-as-urban-infrastructure installation that uses a continuous sculpture through the alley that allows for a multitude of uses including a stage, lounge area, framing for art and more. Team members include Molly Hunker and Greg Corso.
· Graffix Alley (Graffix Collective from Chattanooga, Tenn,) – a street art intensive installation with dynamic lighting and a central linear table that is multipurpose. Team members include Wayne Williams, Aaron Cole, Ray Padron, Jason Meyer, Strat Parrott and Eric Finley Jr., the artist also known as “SEVEN”.
River City Company, Cogent Studio and Public Art Chattanooga are leading the Passageways program which is made possible through the Benwood and Lyndhurst Foundations. A winning team and concept will be announced in spring 2018 and installed fall of 2018.
For more information and to view the top 21 submissions for Passageways 2.0, visit www.passagewayschattanooga.com.