COMMONWEAL STASH

The Lobby Ceiling’s Winged Tools  

Reflective upon our relationship with the natural world, the floating tools suspended from the lobby's ceiling evoke a flock of birds moving through the air. Arrayed as a whole, this ‘flock’ of former utilitarian objects becomes a melting pot of histories that make up the patchwork of Midwestern culture.

The flight pattern begins at the main entry into the lobby, with chronologically older tools progressing toward more labor-specific gear as one advances toward the theatre doors. On its way around the referential windmill propeller, the flock separates into two distinct categories: the Industrials (on the left) and the Domestics (on the right).

Like a genetic mutation, tools referencing our relationship with animals (the Agrarians) migrates down the lobby to the left of the flock and mutates into the Recreationals. The swarm splits again as it encounters the "Ark" (the bed frame), then regroups and narrows its flight path down to the final winged element (a helmet) representing the mind of the artist/creator.