Boothby Square

In 2003, Portland Downtown asked if I could create a piece for Boothby Square. The site was distinctly unique: primarily a hardscape area with two small, shaped grass islands divided by a small roundabout in the middle, and two cobblestone streets running through it.

I was intrigued by the coming and going of traffic and the way the square expands at the center while the grass islands taper at the opposite ends. The surrounding buildings are mostly similar in height, creating a kind of wall that borders the square on both sides. I began to wonder: how high could my piece go, and how should it be secured?

I settled on fifteen feet. As people drove by or walked along the sidewalks, they would naturally be looking up at the work. I decided the smaller of the two grass islands on the west end would hold three units, and the larger island on the east end would hold five.

The Light Forms are supported at the top of ten-foot poles, with three sections of different sizes and shapes that move from large to small. Sitting at the top of the pole, the forms reach another ten feet into the sky. I wanted these elements to interact not only with the space of the square, but also with each other. Each section between the Light Forms has a jointed bend, and every joint bends at a different degree. I see the eight forms standing together—gesturing and engaging the space all around them.

It was a fun piece to design.

My daughter Bree was home from France during the time I was working on the design for Boothby Square, and I was in need of help for this project. Bree came to the studio to help, and she brought Chris Moore, a friend who is now her husband. Chris took my model and calculated formulas to scale the different sculptural forms so we could build them to their current size. In my old studio, they were so large we had a hard time getting them out the door. Bree, Chris, and their son Oliver have been helping with the installation at Boothby Square each season since. Oliver is now climbing the ladder to help set the pieces onto the poles.

In the very beginning, when I was working on Tommy’s Park Light Forms, Bree developed a unique spiral method for stringing lights onto the forms. Her system saved a great deal of time and created a consistent and beautiful effect.  We continue to use this method to this day.