Barnacles
Location: 1220 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO
Owner: City of Kansas City, Missouri
Artist: Rie Egawa and Burgess Zybrk, artists; United Metal Spinning, fabricators
Dates: 2011
Medium: Powder-coated spun steel, steel, polycarbonate
Description:
Artists Rie Agawa and Burgess Zbryk used their love of fish and aquariums for inspiration for Barnacles. It was originally designed as a free-standing sculpture but district restrictions forced the artists to identify a new site. The opportunity to transform Barnacles to the side of a building turned out to align better with the artist's concept of how, a few million years ago, this area was an ocean and how, over time, nature has a marvelous way of overtaking things made by humans. Barnacles are particularly adept at adapting to life atop human-made objects.
Barnacles is 9 feet tall at the center and is 80 feet long across the uppermost opening of the garage. Each powder-coated white "barnacle" is made of spun steel - crafted here in Kansas City by United Metal Spinning - and includes a blue polycarbonate center which highlights sunshine and car headlights inside the garage day and night. It is mounted on the east facade of the parking garage that serves Cosentino's
Part of the City of Kansas City's One Percent for the Arts Program.
