Sponsored by: Blattner/Brunner and Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitor's Bureau
Charity: Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitor's Bureau
Fossil Location: Faith Gallo Garden, Stanwix St. at Liberty Ave. (2009) map ] [ directions to ]
Auction Price: $1600
Materials:
Steel cage, steel cables
Theme: Study of fragments can lead to understanding, but may also distract us from seeing the object as a whole
 
 

Fragments About the Design
Michael Hill: "Today, a dinosaur is seen as an animal, or, more appropriately, a historical 'object' frozen in time made viewable through vehicles such as museums and books. It has become a precious artifact that is housed with the likes of other objects such as an ancient piece of jewelry or a statue that has been uncovered throughout the centuries. With the help of science and archaeology, we are able to gaze upon these sublime creatures reincarnated through fragments that have been carefully reconstructed to the point that we forget that the dinosaur is an animal.

Sold!"If it were possible to erase the sixty-five million year timeline, a question arises of how we, as humans, would view dinosaur as 'animal' and not dinosaur as 'artifact'. This idea has created numerous thoughts and suppositions that have influenced my thinking on this piece. Notions of science, medicine, and commercialism were all contributing factors to the design without being representational. I am a tremendous advocate for exploring the blur between art, architecture, and reality and I aimed to maintain the uncertainty in my approach.

"Although it may appear very chaotic, the construction is rather simple. The segmented dinosaur is surrounded by a rigid steel frame. This frame allows for multiple steel cables to pass through the air and suspend the dinosaur fragments in space. The inner shell and the outer shell are painted differently. These colors remain simple so as not to interfere with the integrity of the piece."

installing Primal Cuts