A towering stainless steel sculpture now provides a dramatic welcome as you enter the UConn Health Center’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building (CGSB) at 400 Farmington Ave.
The sculpture, called Unfolding, was created by California artist Roger Berry and was installed in front of the main entrance to the CGSB in mid-November.
Berry offers this description of his sculpture:
“Unfolding is a dynamically balanced form conceived to suggest the winding of RNA in our cells. As with RNA, if you were to pull the two ends of Unfolding apart, the sculpture would straighten without knotting. Unfolding is visible to pedestrians and drivers alike. As one passes by, the sculpture appears to wind and unwind presenting a different profile from each vantage point. The bright brushed stainless steel appears buoyant against the sky, the surrounding trees and the rich greens of the grasses at its base. The paradox of this swirling shimmering mass is the delight of the sculpture.”
The sculpture was installed as part of Connecticut’s Art in Public Spaces program. The program was established by the General Assembly in 1978 and requires that not less than 1 percent of the cost of construction or renovation of publicly accessible state buildings be allocated for the commission or purchase of artwork for that building.
Nearly 400 works have been commissioned since the program’s inception. The works represent a wide variety of media, including sculpture, wall relief, environmental installation, painting, and photography; and range in scale from works on paper to monumental murals.
Follow the UConn Health Center on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.