Michele Oka Doner
"Forces of Nature"
Terrazzo
3,000 sq. ft.
2009
Port Everglades -Atrium
Watch Forces of Nature documentary video created by Sami Khan
The concept of creating a “well-traveled” floor, a work of art embedded in the building itself and accessible to every arriving passenger. Deep green and blue terrazzo matrices in an approximately 3,000-square-foot area will contain a lively narrative.
The composition in the floor will consist of two arenas of focus. In the wider section of the footprint, an 8' diameter globe in cast bronze will be depicted in a spinning manner. The globe is energized with crisscrossed longitudinal and latitudinal lines. Enhancing the movement will be great sweeps of iridescent mother-of-pearl simulating the trade winds that circle the earth. The mother-of-pearl aggregates vary in color – white to pink and silver, scale and proportion, adding a kind of cosmic delight.
In the narrower portion of the floor, ocean currents will pick up the sense of motion begun by the spinning globe, carried by the winds, and resulting in a wave-like pattern. Consecutive wavy lines, executed in exquisite aggregate, delineate a new region, approximately 25' in dimension. This area contains the seedbed of approximately 175-225 units depicted in cast bronze. The forms are drawn from actual seeds from the multitude that are known to drift far and wide in the currents. The seeds will vary in scale from 6-20" and reveal textures, patterns, and shapes of exceptional variety.
The composition in its entirety is buoyant and dramatic, a work of art that speaks of travel by wind, currents, and ultimately boarding the ship.
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