DOG + CATenary

Completion: 2015

Location: BARC Adoption and Animal Shelter, Houston, TX

Description: For the BARC Adoption Center Project, we have designed a bold, playful work that creates an inviting space for volunteers, fosters, and adopters. We are inspired by the motif of a pet leash, a familiar object that evokes the notion of pet stewardship, ownership, and responsibility—the essence of BARC’s mandate. As artists, we recontextualize objects with a familiar presence in our lives and give them new meaning in the context of a site specific narrative.

DOG + CATenary is a dramatic sculpture composed of pet leashes, running the entire length of the interior and exterior vaulted spaces of the new facility. This catenary sculpture is made up of colored leashes, draped freely between various points of the vaulted ceiling in a variety of colored segments. When viewed holistically, the sculpture will evoke a vibrant pattern that is based on the sound wave patterns of dog barks and cat meows. This durable form will require no maintenance.

DOG + CATenary will be visible from the outside through the entry’s expansive glass curtain wall and provide a bold, dramatic gesture for passersby. This dynamic work celebrates the values of compassion, responsibility, companionship, and community on which this facility is built.

 Design Optimization/Management: METALAB

Photography: Pablo Gimenez-Zapiola