Officially opened to the public March 30, visitors to the Ion’s plaza can now see the art installation that will remain a fixture for the next three months, according to a news release.
"Efflorescence" was created by the Austin-based artist team consisting of Ilya Pieper and Nathan Kandus from Whiptail Designs.
The art installation was purposely created with upcycled plastic from the pandemic, according to Pieper.
"Ninety-percent of the plastic used in this piece of the green is painted plastic and the flower petals are all upcycled plastic that was used from the pandemic, leftovers from this company that used to make face shields. So I took all these things that were probably going to be trashed and we ended up utilizing it to make this really gorgeous piece of art," she said.
Pieper said nature was her ultimate inspiration and reference point for the piece.
“As avid plant lovers, Nathan and I are constantly in awe of the beauty and form that nature holds. In our backyard, we have a passionflower vine that grows each year. Watching the vine make its ever-persistent climb upward, forming beautiful flowers along the way, which a multitude of creatures utilize, we saw a parallel to the ultimate vision of the Ion District,” Pieper stated in a news release.
Leaders from Houston’s innovation hub said the new addition to the Ion District’s public art project is part of the community’s creative identity.
“I view the Ion’s art as a living organism that is constantly evolving and changing. I am now ecstatic to see 'Efflorescence' come to life and serve as a natural outgrowth of the building’s creative identity as it evolves into the anchor of the 16-acre Ion District over the course of the next several years,” said Piper Faust, who oversees the Ion and Ion District’s public art projects through her organization Piper Faust Public Art.
7 facts about the "Efflorescence" art installation:
- Consists of a green vine structure comprised of 3/16 inch twisted rod
- Negative space between the rod’s different elements creates diamond patterns that are filled with metallic-green mica-painted plastic
- Leaves are painted with a differently pigmented mica paint and are suspended from the weaving vine configuration
- Flowers are made from dichroic film, a type of film that transforms clear materials, which allows "Efflorescence" to continuously change color as each viewer changes position
- Ten of the flowers attached to "Efflorescence" have a kinetic component and, as visitors to the Ion pass underneath, it triggers a signal for flowers to bloom in an open-and-close pattern
- The flowers, made from upcycled plastic, are also subtly lit at night, emitting a phosphorescent glow
- Mounted spotlights along the edges enhance night-time viewing opportunities by bouncing light off of the reflective mica paint and dichroic film
