Three Floating Friends, Matthew Geller, 2022
SERVICES PROVIDED: Design coordination, Materials research, Budget management, Engineering coordination and oversight, Fabricator bid process, Fabrication oversight, Lighting design development, Shipping, Installation services, Scheduling, Project close-out.
Three super-sized ring buoys pierce the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center's walls, such that they appear on the exterior and interior of the entrance vestibule. A 10.5-ft diameter pink buoy floats vertically above your head in the northwest corner. A 9.25-ft diameter lemon-yellow buoy enters through the eastern vestibule and lobby walls. A 5-ft diameter Kelly green buoy hovers close to the ground, providing seating both inside and outside. After dark, the vestibule becomes a beacon as parts of its upper half are bathed in an animated blue light wave pattern mimicking the view looking up through the surface of a swimming pool.
The ring buoys and, after dark, the blue water ripple projection is integrated with the architecture so that the vestibule itself becomes an essential part of the artwork. By adorning and animating the entranceway both inside and out, day and night, this once utilitarian transitional space becomes iconic, welcoming, and fun, with a gentle reminder to play safe.
Images courtesy of Matthew Geller.
