Transitional Objects

Student Recreation Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
2016
Anodized aluminum, mirror, two-way mirror, resin, paint, LED
100' x 45' x 2'
Commissioned by the Oregon Arts Commission and the University of Oregon

Transitional Objects is a group of fourteen anodized aluminum infinity mirror boxes of varying sizes, hung salon style on the great wall of the campus recreation center and visible from every level of the building.

Each box is lined with mirror and lit from within. Inside are vividly colored, highly detailed 3D-printed versions of the equipment used at the center, drawn from nine sports: badminton, basketball, climbing, football, soccer, tennis, track, volleyball, and weightlifting. Some objects are scaled larger than life and some smaller. Two-way mirrors repeat each one into what appears to be infinite space, and handmade nets and archival paints finish the details.

The objects shift and transform as visitors move through the building. Suspended somewhere between weightlessness and heft, the installation pairs the determination of athletic effort with a sense of play and wonder.