New sculpture incorporates poems from Oklahoma authors
Update from Oklahoma Contemporary:
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the opening of Multiple Voices has been postponed to Aug. 31. Supply-chain challenges beyond our control have impeded the local fabrication of the European artist's first public artwork in the United States.
You can find an updated press release, including an editor’s note, here. And of course, you’re welcome to join us at the opening at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, as we celebrate the architectonic installation at Campbell Art Park.
We’re very excited to share this exciting local-meets-international sculpture with Oklahoma City and with your readers.
A unique new sculpture created for Oklahoma Contemporary encourages visitors to gather, play and learn. European artist Eva Schlegel created the piece, Multiple Voices. Schlegel is known for engineering steel and mirrors into spectacular, architectonic sculptures.
The inspiration for the piece came from Schlegel’s 2020 visit to Oklahoma City for the opening of an exhibit featuring one of her photographs. Schlegel said she was struck by the interplay of Oklahoma Contemporary’s architecture with the natural light surrounding its exterior. The art center’s new building is comprised of 16,800 aluminum fins which reflect and refract light, creating a shimmer and shine effect. Working with similar materials, Schlegel created a series of polished and translucent surfaces that catch and reflect light and parts of the surrounding environment.
To tie the sculpture even closer to Oklahoma, she incorporated the works of three Oklahoma-connected poets: Steve Bellin-Oka, Kimberly Blaeser, and Joy Harjo. The poems appear in blurred form on the sculpture’s glass panels, inviting visitors to come closer. Visitors can learn more about the poems and the sculpture by using a printed “map” that features the poems or by scanning a QR code to hear Schlegel read the works aloud.
Multiple Voices opens April 26 at 5:30 p.m. in Campbell Art Park with a reception and an artist talk featuring Schlegel and Bellin-Oka. Free tickets are available here.
The sculpture will be on view through June 10, 2024.
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