How do we live by consuming less than we give back to the environment? How do we address this with art?

Since the largest energy consumers in any construction project are in the manufacturing of new materials and shipment and transportation to the jobsite, it was immediately apparent that Energy Dance needed to be constructed on site out of recycled material sourced within Farmington and San Juan College. Recycled drilling pipe was chosen because of its abundance, structural integrity, and rich history with the local community, and global energy: a poetic notion of creating new out of old. There is a rich local workforce familiar with working with the drilling pipe, which was employed in the erection of the sculpture to provide a stimulus to the local economy.

There are 51 pairs of pipe raised so that their tops touch each other to form an inverted “V”. The pairs are arranged into two interlocking crescents alluding to the symbol of recycling, fellowship, and dance.

The pipes are made or heavy thick steel that can be left to rust naturally in the dry local climate without compromising their structural integrity. The dark rusted surface is comfortable to the eyes, and appear mostly in silhouette to enhance the “moiré” effect. The sculpture appears to be kinetic without actually moving.

The sculpture is placed on a peninsula surrounded by the retention pond. This location is visible from most of the site, and the college. The sculpture is bold and tall, announcing its presence to the college in a similar way that Shiprock does to the four corners. A walkway circles around the perimeter of the pond and through the sculpture to heighten interaction with the sculpture and awareness of the pond. The sustainable use of water is key to survival in the desert southwest, and the reflection and interaction of the sculpture and the pond stimulates awareness of this.

The pipes are over 30 feet long and placed at a nearly vertical angle, and connected so that their tops are exposed to soar and frame the magnificent sky of the Four Corners. The arrangement of pipes create a dynamic visual “moiré” patterns as the viewer moves around the sculpture resembling the natural flow of energy and the elemental forces of rain wind fire and water. The visual patterns also allude to the patterns found in the rich native art and traditions in the area.

Construction view from lift platform suspended 40 feet above sculpture foundation.

Rae Douglass purchased an existing house on Blanton Drive in 1997 as an investment. Shortly after this Rae decided to relocate to Tucson and inhabit the house, so that he would have a base of operations more convenient to his increasing number of commissions on the mainland. After living in the house for a few years Rae started construction on a major addition and renovation to the house that would triple the size of the 700 sf house and give him a live work space.

Rae has developed a deep sense of the way that good architecture must be a direct expression of the lifestyle of its inhabitants. A structure must relate to its context, and a sense of economy rooted in a firm understanding of craft and the abilities of a region. Living in the Existing house for 3 years prior to construction, gave Rae a unique understanding of his property and La Madera Neighborhood. The addition was placed to maximize usable open space and protect the property from the harsh afternoon sun. The plan is arranged to have a seamless flow of interior and exterior space with a large summer kitchen at its heart. The summer kitchen stitches the front house together with the studio space in the rear, all of which are sheltered by a continuous roof. The plan of the addition is that of an elongated Dog Trot, with most windows oriented to the north and south.

Due to limited funds, Rae acted as the general contractor, and employed various skilled artists and craftsmen which he had worked with on previous projects. All of the fenestration including the large glass, redwood and steel pivot doors of the summer kitchen, were designed by Rae and fabricated by Brian Horton who is a sculptor and skilled metal worker. The pivot doors are essential to the flow of space and when fully open act as an acoustic band-shell when the space is used as a stage during parties. They weigh over 800 lbs each, but open effortlessly due to lead counterweights and ball bearing pivots.

The ceiling and eastern wall are paneled in rough sawn planks that came from old growth Ponderosa Pine trees that had previously died in place due to fire or disease. The paneling was provided by a one man lumber mill located near the Gila National forest of New Mexico. Brian Meyers of Sun Bear construction who was hired to frame the house knew of this lumber mill. These along with many other close working relationships created a design build team that was instrumental in building 1400 SF of architecture for under $100,000.

The Maclaren Residence is an 8000 square foot ocean front estate situated at the apex of Napili Point on the island of Maui.  The design is loosely based on a southern Dog-Trot house with a lanai joining the living room with the rest of the main house. Two lozenge, or boat-shaped spaces frame either side of the central lanai to form the main public rooms of the house. The ends of these rooms open with unique sets of sliding doors that completely disappear into concealed pockets within the solid walls. the ceiling of the living room is vaulted with a heavy timber structure that recalls the frame of a wooden boat hull.  A large roof envelops most of the second level to recall the lines of traditional tropical dwellings like the French colonial “Dickey” style roof of Kama’aina style architecture. The shape and orientation of the roof helps to shelter the entry court from excessive winds.  A village atmosphere is created between the main and guest house. A grass lawn cascades gracefully down to the rocky shore below a zero edged swimming pool.

Humanescence is a dynamic, floor to ceiling sculpture of human anatomy at the UC Denver Health Sciences Center created under the auspices of the Colorado Council of the Arts. This permanent display is featured in the new Health Sciences Library atrium to welcome all visitors. The title of the sculpture is derived from Human, Essence, and Luminescence. This rendering of human anatomy was accomplished by an amalgamation of anatomy from the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project with the unique 3D presentation and patented lighting effects of Rae Douglass. Anatomical features from the photographic images were transcribed onto 241 – 25′ long, 3/4″ wide, stainless steel filaments by methods devised and patented by Rae Douglass.

In the finished sculpture, each labeled filament is anchored in a matrix to the ceiling and extends to an oak pedestal two floors below. The sculpture appears to shimmer as the viewer moves around the column because of the moiré pattern of the matrix of filaments. Energy efficient fluorescent lighting is placed at the top and base of the sculpture to make the body imagery printed onto the diffraction film appear self-illuminated. The display creates a visual paradox that speaks to the current challenge of the medical profession. You see, it is natural to make the array of filaments denser and increase the proportion of the image to void space because more cross sectional imagery will be displayed. The paradox comes when you realize that you can no longer see as deeply into the body.

Rae Douglass invented the means to produce a field of multi-colored light that appears to emanate from the center of a hollow tube or solid rod. The key to this invention is the alignment of the diffraction surface into a tubular structure. The light field appears to vary in color as a person views it from different angles and positions. . Rae has adapted this technique for use in light fixtures, sculpture and environmental signage. Rae has also devised a means to wrap flexible suspension cables with the surface to create monumental color displays. The diffraction surface is illuminated with a remote white light source that can also be the sun.

Suspension Cables Coated wrapped with Light Tube

Light Pocket

This design was awarded from a call to artist to create a water feature based on the Gem and Mineral theme of this college campus. Sunlight has been used to energize optical surfaces to give water the appearance of a molten mineral. A diffraction grating is laminated into glass tiles that are set into a basin of water. Placed into the basin are three large granite boulders with some of their faces ground and polished to a reflective surface. The reflected light in these faces resembles facets of a gemstone. During the day the suns east west course over the basin creates an infinite array of color and light effects that change with the location of the viewer. At night, underwater spotlights are placed around the perimeter giving the tiles the effect that they are glowing from within. The color effects resemble fire, water, or molten mineral. Phelps Dodge donated the boulders, and Caterpillar donated the machinery and location to select the actual rocks to be used in the fountain.

The sculpture creates a highly animated display of multi-colored water droplets that resemble a tall column of plasma (or x-ray) particles falling gracefully to earth, and challenge our perception and understanding of light and energy.

The sculpture, consist of an array of vertical ribbons coated with an optical surface that refract a full spectrum of color when illuminated from a metal halide spot light recessed in the ceiling. The ribbons are suspended from a water manifold suspended 26’ above the basin that is recessed into a 7’ ceiling cavity. The center of the manifold is hollow, so that a 150-watt metal halide spotlight suspended above can illuminate the center of the array of ribbons below. Surrounding the manifold is a catwalk far maintenance purposes. The basin below is made out of powder-coated aluminum. Each ribbon is held in place with a small counterweight suspended under a cover plate submerged in the basin. Water is re-circulated through a concealed pipe in the floor and surrounding wall to the manifold above. The supply water is electronically regulated, and filtered with a reverse osmosis system to remove all minerals that could leave deposits on the fountain surfaces. The filtration system on the re-circulating side consists of a sediment filter and an ultraviolet clarifier to remove any algae buildup.