Submission #8 CLOSE
Brett Lowe (Australia)
Apart from the function of crossing the river and enhancing this experience through the event of bridging, I endeavoured to construct a transition from one side of the river to the other. To do this I wanted the user to pass though sculpted forms that have identity within the broader city context.
I became very interested in the Peigan Indian language and how this relates to objects ñ in particular, the use of verb-noun forms in words emphasising the action rather than the object itself.
I would like the user to be aware of the bridge within the fabric of the City of Calgary and with the river and its history. The primary form of the bridge is geometric – triangle, a strong shape – and the trussed spanning of the river purely functional. However, I felt that it was important, in the articulation of these forms, to embody the riverÃs past and connect this with the action – the here and now – of crossing the river that both divides and unites the city.
Bow River: It seems that there is no singular or definitive answer to the origin of the riverÃs name. It does appear certain, though, that the riverÃs name in Peigan indentified with the plants that grew along its banks that were used for the making of weapons.†The bridge design utilises trusses with a rhythmic patterning of structure in the symbolic shape of the bow, which is repeated and also gives reference back to stylised plant forms in memory of those used to make weapons.
The Northern crossing of the bridge is aligned exactly north south. I wanted to promote awareness of the declination of the sun and its path throughout the day. The triangles have apertures to the east and west respectively to bounce the light within the volume of the two sides. The purpose of this is to emphasise the time of day and the position of the sun, thus making a universal reference when using the foot bridge.
