In 2015, Czech artist, Federico Diaz was selected through a submission process to create a meaningful piece of public art along the river walk in The Bridge District.
“Díaz was one of over 100 applicants, and after a careful process, the committee unanimously selected him. When he visited here to become intimate with the site in 2015, he was inspired by the Barn, designed by Dutch landscape architect Jerry van Eyck, then under construction. The wooden structure is also a product of the computer age, its compound curves, like those in Díaz’s work, the result of pure processing power. Díaz appreciated that with so many acres of land ripe for development, the city and Fulcrum chose to prioritize the Barn as a visual manifesto for what this new area should be. Subtile reflects not just the trees and the sky, but the nascent neighborhood’s design-centric ethos. “It’s a unique approach to cultivating an environment, the attitude of starting with art first, then adding everything else,” he says. “It’s not common at all, and I appreciate it as an artist.” (Taken from Mirror Image, Sactown Magazine)
Easily one of the most ‘Instagrammed’ locations in our region with hundreds of people sharing images and videos via social media in front of the piece, Subtile was installed in late 2019. 40 feet long, and almost 16 feet tall, its organic form is covered in more than 4,000 2-inch steel discs. The discs act as mirrors, taking in the environment and showcasing back to the viewer through color and sound. The discs create a lovely chime as they move during the breezes of the delta.
“The sculpture is not meant to be a monument to human creativity or to our ability to create and reproduce our belongings. Its purpose is to humbly augment its environment, to help you better realize what surrounds you… the ground you’re walking on, the water and the trees around you, the passing birds, or the sky above.” Federico Diaz
