Description
When GouldEvans was designing their newly renovated studio space in a historic building in old Westport, the design team envisioned a series of staircases with perforated infill panels that would be something special. They turned to a local architect and artist that was already a part of their design studio.
Brent Westphal creates art derived from textures and rhythms found in the natural world, from the molecular to cosmic scales. Using repetitive marks, Brent’s small, hand drawn circles form the basic building blocks of his artist practice. His work is both familiar yet non-representational. The panels in GouldEvan‘s studio space were inspired by the night sky.
Working with GouldEvans, Brent and our friends at KC Structural Steel, SSM translated the patterns into perforated infill panels for the various stairways and balcony rails. Working together, the result was a collaborative effort to create unique staircases that also functioned as sculptural art pieces. Brent’s work is meticulous and highly detail oriented and those two characteristics perfectly describe the panels that SSM created.
According to the artist, this was one of his first times working in three dimensions or at this large scale as his work is typically 2D on paper. Brent noted that his favorite part about the installed panels was the unexpected interplay of light and shadow, and how the projected patterns change throughout the day and year.
Sort of “art speak” for, “the stairs look really cool.” We couldn’t agree more, cool indeed.
See more of his work at his website: Brent Westphal
