2009-2010 Black Rock City Honoraria artist Jess Hobbs, from the ever inventive and productive Flux Foundation, shares with us an update on their latest work, Bloom!
Based at American Steel Studios in Oakland, California, this art collective has produced numerous memorable works for Black Rock City and for many other public community events (check out their portfolio). This recent piece is made of car hoods and bumpers donated from local auto body shops.
We are currently in the final-two-weeks-mad-rush of finishing our new installation Bloom! It was commissioned by the Philadelphia Zoo as part of their SECOND NATURE: Our Endangered World Revealed In Recycled Materials exhibition. The sculpture leaves Oakland for Philadelphia on March 16.
About Bloom!: Perennials epitomize sustainability. A beautiful resource that with a little attention and care can return endlessly. Bloom! is an outrageous, 35′ tall arrangement of flowers, creating a fun and inviting installation, producing both light and shade, and a welcoming space to explore. It is a dancing swirl of mixed recycled materials anchored by oversized leafy stems. The sculpture consists of fifty-four perennial flowers and nine monarch butterflies. A majority of the recycled parts came from our local West Oakland neighborhood. This spectacle is intended to establish a connection between our actions, animals and our shared environment.
Jess Hobbs
Flux Foundation
If you’re in Philadelphia, pay a visit to the Zoo and see Bloom!
Bloom! by Flux
SECOND NATURE: Our Endangered World Revealed In Recycled Materials exhibition
April 11, 2015 – October 11, 2015
Open daily, during regular Zoo hours, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Philadelphia Zoo
3400 W Girard Ave
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Adults, $20. Children, $16.
Visit the project’s website to learn more.
