Pittsburgh Variations

Interactive, public art is quite literally my jam. This work, titled Pittsburgh Variations, by George Sugarman lives a breath away from the Allegheny River on The North Shore. The four aluminum sculptures each represent an aspect of Pittsburgh’s growth: the flaming, orange crucible for industry; the blue and green paddlewheels for the three rivers; the Golden Triangle for business and finance; and the green flora of Penn’s Woods for forestry and natural resources.

Here, I interfaced with eras. Pittsburgh is no longer a sylvan wilderness nor The Gateway to The West nor Steel City, USA anymore. And in the time of COVID, every town under the sun is a work in progress as far as business and finance are concerned. However, if we consider only the medium and subject of this work without appreciating its environment, we miss its significance. This work was designed and constructed to allow we, the Human Resources, to move through and within it connecting seemingly disparate elements in a manner that reflects our time. In the course of an hour, I saw this space redefined by joggers, families out for a Sunday bike ride, a parade of Segway tourists, and one punky chick with a smartphone and three drumsticks.

Who knew that during such hot weather, one could find relief in a fire?