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This installation offers images about quiet and peace. The water, sky and moon depicted in the glass panels are views of nature readily available to any Chicagoan.
The water images are based upon Lake Michigan, the expanse of nature so crucial to the history and temperament of Chicago. This open space, beautifully framed by parks and beaches along the lakefront, is essential to Chicago’s equilibrium. Certainly, 2.89 million people need space to spread out and relax. Equally important is that the visual simplicity of the water and sky to our east reminds us that there exists a reality different from our everyday lives. This simplicity balances the hectic activity of our large, lively, and sometimes violent city.
Like the lake, the moon can suggest a truth larger and more important than whatever may be distracting us at any given moment. The waxing and waning of the moon proceeds at a rhythm distinct from the pace of contemporary urban life. It is a reminder that nature is all around us, that it is a part of who we are, and that it exists whether we humans choose to pay attention or not.
Placing the images intermittently in the glass curtain wall signifies that it is as important to have our mind on these matters as it is to notice the realities of the life on the street, the weather, the buildings and traffic around us.
In thinking about the people who enter and spend time in the police station---those who work here, maintaining order for all of us; community leaders committed to making our neighborhoods more livable; and those who enter the station in times of duress---my hope is that this artwork will cheer, uplift, and console.