CI Sculpture Competition

A marker in the landscape

A civic sculpture proposal explores identity, movement and collective memory.

This open competition for a permanent sculpture at the front of the Cayman Islands National Gallery called for proposals that reflect the unique cultural identity of the isles. The site—a roundabout in front of the gallery’s main reception—is seen primarily as one enters or exits the art museum, but is also experienced from multiple perspectives around the circular setting. These constraints, together with the historical and cultural context of the islands, provide the basis for the sculptural form.

Cayman’s boatbuilding past was once a large part of the economy, with several boatbuilding entities operating here. Commissions were carried out for the Royal Navy and wealthy individuals abroad. These boatyards employed specialized craftspeople and builders who came together to realize the projects, and their expertise directly influenced local architecture. Master boatbuilders were also commissioned to construct large public buildings. In this spirit, the proposed structure is engineered much as the master builders of the past constructed their work, but using today’s building materials and design tools.

Careful, controlled pouring of thin white concrete sails with glass aggregate gives the sails a light quality that shimmers in the Caribbean sunlight. Recycled blue-glass aggregate references the blue hulls of catboats once used to camouflage hunting vessels from turtles. At every angle, Caymanian images are invoked: our boatbuilding past, schooners of British colonial influence, and even shipwrecks weathering on the country’s reefs. Each sail represents one of the islands, while the painted metal chassis bracing the structure together diagrams their complex interconnectedness. Economic, governmental, cultural and family relationships are among the many factors tying the isles together.

Collaborators / CI Sheet Metal / Bolas Engineering.