I have been working with bridge imagery for about 10 years. More accurately, I’ve been working with one bridge’s imagery – The Steel Bridge in Portland Oregon. My love affair began one day as I was walking across the bridge and noticed the effect that time, weather, and graffiti artists had on the structure; the rivets were particularly fascinating.
When the theme of Bridges was selected, at first I thought I’d move on to another bridge. Or at least a different part of this bridge. But after three years away, I decided to allow a familiar theme to be my bridge back into making art.
I also wanted to acknowledge the importance of the individual components. We often look at a bridge as a whole and admire the feats of the architectural or engineering masters. But what about the builders and maintenance workers who weld, paint, and keep our bridges standing and safe?
I think of 20Perspectives as a bridge and all its members are the rivets and beams that hold it together. Perhaps we are bridging people.
bridge person /brij/ /ˈpərs(ə)n/ Someone who spans two cultures and consciously seeks to facilitate an exchange between the two.
Process:
