T8

Information
Art Type
Media / Materials
Collection
Year Completed
1985
Credit
Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of John and Mary Pappajohn, 2015.12
Location
Latitude & Longitude
41.584717, -93.636398
Location Description
Northwest corner of Locust and 15th Streets, Des Moines

T-8

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T8 is a bold, dynamic work that punctuates the urban street corner as traffic flows east along Locust Street. This monumental piece has consistently drawn critical acclaim, confronting audiences with a vivid orange-red color and mesmerizing even the casual passer-by with subtle energy and intricate proportion.The artist draws inspiration from many sources including mathematics, physics, music, poetry and astronomy. From one vantage point, the “T8” steel crossed I-beams and circular center visually suggests a sunburst, clock or wheel form. In anatomy, the term “T8” generally refers to a mixed spinal nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. However, walking around “T8” produces constantly changing views, and moving under it creates yet another experience of the sculpture and its space. Historically, sculpture was an object to be looked at, usually on a pedestal, not something one viewed from underneath. “T8”, by contrast, offers a totally new visual and physiological experience.