A major new work of public art will be unveiled as part of the Dec. 13 dedication of the Phoenix Forensics Crime Laboratory, located on the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and Washington Street.
Created by Massachusetts artists Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schecter, the artwork is a chandelier that pays homage to the lab’s efforts to analyze evidence and solve crimes.
Held together by an armature of steel rods and laboratory clamps, the chandelier contains scores of glass beakers, flasks, test tubes, pipettes and other elegant tools of the forensics trade. The chandelier is approximately 10 feet in diameter and 15 feet high. It hangs from steel rings inset in the ceiling and is illuminated by strands of multicolored LED lights.
The work’s title, “Pattern Recognition,” describes a primary aim of forensic investigations. As the title suggests, the artwork itself is a mystery to solve. Seen from the side, it appears to be a chaotic array of unrelated parts. From directly below, the overhead cluster of colors, forms and lights falls into a clear concentric pattern of things that forensic scientists encounter in the course of cracking criminal cases. These include molecular models of drugs, fingerprints, DNA strands and other chemical and biological substances.
The artists worked with the Police Department and Durrant, the building architect, to integrate their work into the design of the building. The Forensics Lab public art project was developed as part of the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture’s Public Art Program. It was made possible by Police Percent for Art funds.
Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter have produced numerous major public artworks throughout the United States and abroad. They were chosen for this project through a competitive selection process. This is their first public art commission in Phoenix.
The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, which manages the Phoenix Public Art Program, was established by the Phoenix City Council in 1985 to advance the growth and development of the city’s arts and cultural community.
To learn more about the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, visit phoenix.gov/arts.
