地点：亚利桑那州菲尼克斯市南山社区图书馆

客户：马里科帕县社区学院区/菲尼克斯市艺术与文化办公室

规模：三张座椅 2 英尺宽 8 英尺长 5 英尺高/四座棚架 10 英尺宽 13 英尺 8 英寸长 8 英尺高

材料：钢材、混凝土、音频、石材和阴影

预算：155，000 美元

诗歌/策划：阿尔贝托·里奥斯

诗人：迪克·巴肯、杰斐逊·卡特、珍妮·E·克拉克、拉尔夫·科尔多瓦、辛西娅·霍格、威尔·英曼、悉尼·詹姆斯、苏珊·L·克雷维茨基·劳、吉米·洛、里克·诺古奇、费尔南多·佩雷斯、大卫·雷、克里斯汀·莱因、伊利亚娜·罗查、洛伊丝·罗玛-迪利、贾娜·鲁斯、佩吉·舒梅克、大卫·沙利文和奥尔菲莉亚·泽佩达

一张展示南凤凰城“通道”“水闸管理员的线”和“凉棚与幽灵树”艺术景点的地图

在过去的 8 年里，我们一直参与着菲尼克斯南山地区迅速变化的环境建设。在这段时间里，这片柑橘园和花卉农场遍布的区域逐渐发展成为一个建成的住宅社区。我们通过一系列项目为这个社区的行人、自行车和马术通道以及公共形象做出了贡献：2004 年完成的基线路“藤架与幽灵树”项目和 2009 年完成的高线运河步道“水渠管理员的线”项目，以及即将建成的西部运河桥。而“通道”项目则为这些步道增添了新的连接点，它与之前的项目相辅相成，并为新的南山社区图书馆带来了特别适合的艺术理念。

展示图书馆、西运河及艺术元素位置的插图

《篇章》是一件多面的、协作式的公共艺术作品。南山社区图书馆由凤凰城公共图书馆和南山社区学院共同运营。图书馆不仅为学生所用，也为整个社区服务，是社区认同感和学习精神的聚集地。为了反映这种活力，我们希望将视觉元素与文字相结合。在当地著名诗人阿尔贝托·里奥斯的帮助下，我们以诗歌的形式聚焦于南山的风景、文字的品质以及图书馆的内容。该项目由四座“诗歌棚架”和三把“声学椅”组成。

声学椅

三把声学椅位于图书馆主入口前方。它们将图书馆的建筑风格延伸至景观之中，与南山相呼应。椅子的座面采用当地华拉派石制成。椅子的侧面由彩色混凝土制成，表面铸有钢质字母。字母也嵌入周围的地砖中，仿佛从椅子上倾泻而下。字母表中的每个字母都在这一堆乱字母中有所体现，还有构成诸如“沙漠”“石头”“山”和“水”等与景观相关的单词的字母。散落的字母鼓励游客自行组合成词和诗句。

椅子内部的扬声器在被运动传感器激活时会播放诗歌录音。诗歌轻柔地播放，营造出一种亲密的体验。里奥斯策划了这一诗歌集，收录了 19 位诗人关于南凤凰城及其周边景观的作品。

奥菲莉亚·泽佩达（Ofelia Zepeda）的《日落》（Where Clouds Are Formed/亚利桑那大学出版社，2008 年）由西恩·赫德朗读

日落

《我的公共图书馆/我的公共图书馆》 作者、译者及朗读者：阿尔贝托·里奥斯

我的公共图书馆/我的公共图书馆（注：原文两种语言表述相同，故中文译文也相同）

此外，在 2012 年的全国诗歌月期间，里奥斯编辑了一首社区诗歌，并将其添加到了“声学椅”中。图书馆征集了关于南凤凰城的两行诗，里奥斯将其按照日本的连歌或“连绵的优雅”这一传统形式编排成一首诗。这首完成的诗名为《基线绽放，南山社区诗》。

诗廊

四座诗廊横跨在从图书馆延伸至西运河的小径上。焊接在顶棚上的字母将诗句的影子投射在小径上。随着太阳的移动，影子也随之变化，带来不断变化的体验。

阿尔贝托·里奥斯专门为这个项目创作了这四组对句。这四组对句既可以单独阅读，也可以作为一个整体的诗篇来读。

钻石镶嵌的蛇和由针构成的植物，

这充满无尽想象的山谷2.

阴影——夜的一小片，清凉

梦的气息拂过你的颈背3.

当第一滴雨珠落在干燥的牧豆树荚上，

古老的歌谣便在沙漠中回荡。4.

南山

——这沙漠海洋中的缓波

Location: South Mountain Community Library, Phoenix, AZ

Client: Maricopa County Community College District/ Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture

Size: Three seats 2’w 8′ l x 5′ h/ Four trellises 10’w x 13′ 8″l x 8′ h

Materials: Steel, concrete, audio, stone, and shadows

Budget: $155,000

Poetry/Curation: Alberto Ríos

Poets: Dick Bakken, Jefferson Carter, Jeanne E. Clark, Ralph Cordova, Cynthia Hogue, Will Inman, Sydney James, Susan L. Krevitsky Law, Jimmy Lo, Rick Noguchi, Fernando Pérez, David Ray, Christine Rhein, Iliana Rocha, Lois Roma-Deeley, Jana Russ, Peggy Shumaker, David Sullivan, and Olfelia Zepeda

Map showing the art sites of Passage, The Zanjero’s Line, and Arbors & Ghost Trees in South Phoenix

Over the past 8 years we have been involved with the rapidly changing environment of the South Mountain area of Phoenix.   During that time this area of citrus orchards and flower farms became a built-up residential community.  We have been able to contribute to the pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian connections, and to the public image of this community through a series of projects: Arbors & Ghost Trees (2004) for Baseline Road and The Zanjero’s Line (2009) for the Highline Canal Trail that have been completed and the soon to be built Western Canal Bridge.  Passage creates another link in these trails, one that relates to the others and adds new artistic ideas particularly fitting for the new South Mountain Community Library.

Illustration showing location of Library, Western Canal, and art elements

Passage is a multi-faceted, collaborative public artwork.  The South Mountain Community Library is operated jointly by the Phoenix Public Library and South Mountain Community College.  Used by students and the community at large, the Library is a magnet for community identity and the spirit of learning.  To reflect this energy, we wanted to integrate visual elements with words.  With the help of noted local poet, Alberto Ríos, we focused with poetry onto the South Mountain landscape,  the quality of words, and the contents of the Library.  The project consists of four Poetry Trellises and three Acoustic Chairs.

Acoustic Chairs

The three Acoustic Chairs are grouped in front of the Library’s main entrance.  They extend the architecture of the Library into the landscape, relating to South Mountain.  The seat surface of the Chairs is made of local Hualapai stone.The sides of the Chairs are made of colored concrete with steel letters cast into the surface.   Letters are also embedded into the surrounding pavement, as though cascading from the Chairs.  Each letter of the alphabet is represented in the jumble as well as the letters that make words that reference the landscape such as “desert,” “stone,” “mountain,” and “water”.  The scattered letters encourage visitors to make their own words and poetry.

Speakers inside the Chairs play recordings of poetry when activated by  motion sensors.  The poems play softly to create an intimate experience.  Ríos curated the collection of poems, featuring 19 poets writing about South Phoenix and the landscape of the area.

“Sunset” by Ofelia Zepeda (Where Clouds Are Formed/ The University of Arizona Press, 2008) read by Siân Heder

Sunset

“My Public Library/Mi Bibloteca Pública” written, translated, and read by Alberto Ríos

My Public Library/Mi Bibloteca Publica

In addition, for National Poetry Month 2012, Ríos edited a community poem that was added to the Acoustic Chairs.  The Library solicited submissions of two lines about South Phoenix, which Ríos constructed into a poem in the tradition of the Japanese form called the renga or “linked elegance.”  The completed poem is: Baseline Blooms, A South Mountain Community Poem.

Poetry Trellises

Four Poetry Trellises span the path as it runs past the Library and towards the Western Canal.  Letters welded to the canopy project shadow lines of poetry onto the path.  The shadows shift with the sun to offer a constantly changing experience.

Alberto Ríos wrote these four couplets specifically for the project.  The four couplets can be read individually or as a whole poem.

Diamond-clad snakes and plants made of needles,

This valley of constant imagination

2.

Shade– small fragment of night, cool

Dream’s breath on the back of your neck

3.

When first raindrops hit dry mesquite pods,

Ancient songs fill the desert

4.

South Mountains

–Slow waves in the ocean of this desert