Dobson & Dault

A Skybridge was constructed between the Egan Convention Center and the Performing Arts Center on Fifth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska.  There was some contention between the two buildings as to who would be in charge and maintain the Skybridge.

An art selection committee was formed to select an artwork for this very prominent landmark in Anchorage.  Initial themes the art selection committee were looking for was embellishment of the glass (such as stained glass).  The idea of a suspended artwork inside the Skybridge was not even considered.

Our approach began with us studying the bridge from the East end of 5th Avenue on the one-way approach to the West at different times of the day.  We began to realize that a design in the windows would obscure much of the tremendous view afforded from the inside of the Skybridge and also obscure the wonderful light effects of the setting sun through the glass walls of the Skybridge.  While contemplating the possibilities one evening, we observed a maintenance worker come into the Skybridge with a ladder to change a light bulb. His silhouetted  form gave us the inspiration for a suspended aerialist. The concept of the tightrope walker, our little Skywalker  was born!

As it was the ten year anniversary of the PAC/Egan Center, we determined to make our tightrope walker a 10 year old in a bejeweled circus outfit practicing his performance in the Skybridge.  The tightrope connects the two buildings and tightrope walkers are known to travel back and forth over the wire in a symbolic connection between two points.  At the Loussac Library, we discovered a book “On the Wire” by Phillip Petit, who was the tightrope walker who walked between the Twin Towers in New York City. The forward in the book was written by the great mime artist Marcel Marceau who happened to be coming to Anchorage for a performance.

The art selection committee took a chance on us as we had not done a 1% for Art commission before and selected our proposal from our drawing of the young Skywalker.  The design and fabrication of this life size ten year old sculpture posed technical challenges in so far as the support beams of the Skybridge couldn’t be compromised in any way.  The sculpture had to be lightweight but structurally strong enough to withstand seismic forces known in the Anchorage area.  An internal support system in the belly of the hollow skywalker connected the sculpture to the structure in a sturdy yet aesthetic manner.

The clay model was constructed and approved by the art committee.  A rubber mold and fiberglass mother mold was made and the sculpture was cast with bronze and resin at Knight’s Taxidermy using a centrifuge machine.   Jewels and crystals were added to the sculpture with buffalo skin soles on his shoes.

Marcel Marceau dedicated the sculpture to the children of Anchorage with a special quote on a scroll that said “May the wise heart of the Master always be centered in our youth”  This was enshrined in the sculpture in a velvet heart with a Skywalker charm.   As the artists we  dedicated our Skywalker sculpture to both  Jessie Winthrop, a former student of Shala’s who was killed by a drunk driver while on her bicycle and  an ironworker, Mr. Haynes who  was killed while working on the Skybridge materials.