Abstract Art Piece Being Built Along Waterfront Turning Heads
WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – A shimmering new sculpture is now being installed in West Sacramento. It's part of an effort to add more art to the waterfront.
"There's a lot of pieces to it," said construction engineer Steve Mays.
Bolt by bolt, the newest public art display is slowly coming together.
"It's really fun," Mays said.
Each sheet of galvanized aluminum fits together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, eventually towering 14-feet over the West Sacramento waterfront.
"Each one of these pieces is labeled and marked," Mays said.
It even comes with an assembly manual.
"It was actually originally given to us in Czech, so I've taken the liberty of translating some of this," Mays said.
The abstract art piece, entitled "Subtile," was created by Czech artist Federico Díaz and it's designed to emulate trees along the riverbank.
"I think it's cool, I'll be interested to see what it looks like when it's done," said a passerby.
What will it look like?
Once complete, it will feature thousands of shimmering metallic pieces attached – which at times will reflect the surrounding environment, giving it a camouflaged look.
Crews assembling the artwork have been getting a lot of attention from people passing by.
"People are kind of wondering what it's all about, trying to peek under the tarps and see what was going on," Mays said.
And some are concerned about the half-million dollar cost. So where is the money coming from?
Bridge District bond money set aside for public artwork and a grant from the state housing and community development department.
Builders are hoping the finished metal piece will be a magnet to bring more people to the growing waterfront area.
"I think there's going to be a good reaction to it," Mays said.
Builders say the upcoming storm may push back the construction schedule a little bit, but the piece is engineered to withstand a hurricane and it shouldn't suffer any damage.
