Fiber optic sculpture gains library contest
When someone in the state searches the Wyoming State Library catalog, fiber-optic threads of a sculpture will light up in the Teton County Library’s new entrance and lobby.
The Teton County Library Board on Thursday unanimously approved the installation “Filament Mind” by New York based Brian Brush and Yong Ju Lee. They won a contest for the public art.
The sculpture will be created out of gossamer fiber optic cables threaded the length of the lobby. Each will originate at a common point at one end of the entrance, then fan out to connect to labels along the entrance walls.
“The cables signify the connections between the world beyond and the minds of each visitor exploring that world through the library,” officials said in a statement.
Each time a library user in Wyoming searches for a person, place, idea or book, a fiber optic thread leading to the category name inscribed on a wall of the entrance will light up.
“In this way, Filament Mind resembles a luminous ‘connectome,’ or map, of synaptic brain activity, firing away the thoughts of people extended through the mind of the library,” the statement said.
Bush and Lee’s design was chosen from 448 applicants. They will be awarded $65,000 to create and install their work in either fall 2012 or early 2013.
Bush and Lee both hold masters de-grees from Columbia University Gradu-ate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation. They also designed an in-stallation at The Leonardo museum in Salt Lake City.
Lee is originally from South Korea, Bush from Oregon. Lee has taught in Montana and Bush studied there.
Filament Mind will be funded through private donations from The Sage Foundation and the Friends of the Teton County Library to the Teton County Library Foundation.
The library renovation and expansion is funded by the voter-approved SPET tax and designed by Gilday Architects.