THE WANDER OF ART
22 Nov 2018
Form of Wander, a large-scale public art piece with a tree-like structure erected on the waterfront of Tampa Bay in Florida, is the landmark centrepiece of a newly developed open space zone.
Situated where the Riverfront Park recreational space extends onto the waterway, this organically-shaped structure will play host to new outdoor activities and new memories of the Tampa’s active waterfront. Depicting an inverted mangrove, the green-hued aluminium canopy announces itself from some distance along the shore of the Hillsborough River. 
Seven trunk-like columns straddle this path onto the water, inviting visitors to walk around and through on a winding path. The arms thrust up into a tangle of branches, not unlike the root structures of mangroves that take root along Florida shorelines - part of a resilient ecology, evolved to withstand hurricane force winds. 
Filtered light and reflected currents bounce off the twisted surfaces, under faceted tentacles that split, arch, and recombine to produce an open, tangled network. Gradients follow linear stripes of pale green to brilliant white, adding to the variegated colour scheme and creating a textural mix of shadow and light. 
Somewhere between the natural and the iconic, Form of Wander is readily identifiable on the riverfront, regardless of the direction of approach, and emphasises the greenspace found on the newly opened Julian B Lane Riverfront Park.
A Sunday stroll destination, a meeting point for morning runs, or an obstacle course for a game of bicycle tag, this entrancing structure is as much an experience as it is a visual identity for the environment; framing the landscape from within its shadowy boughs to heighten the scenery and shift one’s perspective. 
