About the Design
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
— Leonardo da Vinci

Geniusaurus rex was created by employees of Astorino, a Pittsburgh-based architectural, engineering and interior design consulting firm.  The design was completed in a mere 7 days, thanks to a team composed of artists with the specific talents required to complete the dino within the time limit.  The lead designer was James O'Toole, and the Design Team consisted of Victor Beltran, Ornella Conti, Nina Thomson, and David Goldberg.

Steel and wood wings derived from da Vinci's flying machines rise out of the body that becomes a canvas for da Vinci's creations.  The winged apparatus is the mechanism that enables the dinosaur to fly.  Metaphorically, the wings relate to the technologies and processes that enable sick children to become well again, as well as to the freedom and control gained through the apparatus. 

The body is transformed from something frightening into a canvas, embodying the dreams of Leonardo da Vinci and the potential to make the children's dreams a reality. For the children at Children's Hospital, their dreams may only be to return to a normal, healthy life.  With Geniusaurus Rex, we hope to give them the inspiration to hope and to never give up on their dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.

About the Sponsor
Astorino has been making news in the Pittsburgh region for over 25 years, working on historic projects such as the Trimont and the restoration of Fallingwater, as well as the PNC Firstside Center.

Keeping in mind the sponsor's vision and the intended charity, Children's Hospital, this dinosaur was intended to give children a vision of the impossible, a piece of art that will inspire hope and stir their imaginations.  The dinosaur speaks to the idea of transformation — from sick to well, from earthbound to flight, and from dreams to reality.