Collaboration with Susan Jasionowski and Nadia Saleh
The project goal is to enhance El Dorado East Regional Park with a multi-dimensional installation that will educate visitors about the Blue-Eyed Darner dragonfly. The city has specified that the design incorporates seating, uses durable, weather-resistant, materials and beautifies the environment. Set on Horseshoe Lake, Dragonfly Landing highlights this regional insect in the form of a naturalistic, kinetic, sculpture made of bronze, copper, glass and wood. To view the installation, visitors traverse a bridge with a railing design inspired by cattails. The stems sway with a gentle push of the hand. The main attraction highlights the insect’s wing movements, temperature sensitivity, and place in the food chain. The vibrating sound of a dragonfly in flight is made with a wind-powered, spinning wheel incorporated into the body. The sculpture is suspended above a concrete seating area large enough to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. All these elements will enrich visitors’ experiences for years to come.
The Blue-Eyed Darner, with its distinctive striping, is the centerpiece of the Dragonfly Landing installation. Here in the far western United States, this Darner is often one of the first to be seen in Spring. Small ponds like Horseshoe Lake provide important habitats.
The large leaves encircling the sculpture inform visitors about the dragonfly
The dragonfly’s wings are counterweighted which enables the wind to move them up
and down and rotate on an axis to demonstrate their unique flying ability.
The cattails on each side of the bridge are mounted to springs. Visitors can reach
out and cause them to move in an undulating motion.