CHRYSALIS GATE

(2016, unrealized)
125 feet X 85 feet

Powder-coated stainless steel, glazed terra-cotta tile

For 201 Ellicott, a mixed-use development designed for the City of Buffalo

In collaboration with CannonDesign:
Mike TunkeyPrincipal

The chrysalis is the vessel of metamorphosis, an elegantly simple capsule in which the caterpillar—that very emblem of potential—transforms into one of nature’s most beautiful, complex and majestic creatures, the butterfly.

This enduring symbol of transfiguration can be seen as a gorgeous metaphor for a city on the verge of a spectacular emergence.

It is while moving up and down Oak Street that CHRYSALIS GATE reveals its fluid nature, as its structure borrows from the lenticular printing process, a technique used to create images that change in relation to the perspective of the viewer. At this scale, the effect is that the entire building the sculpture adorns shifts color according to your spatial relationship.

Viewed from the east, its shimmering emerald green ceramic face echoes the intensity of spring, the hue of nourishment and creation, the color of new beginnings. From north and south, soaring blocks of golden yellow and sunset orange—tones that evoke the wings of the monarch butterfly and the warm bloom of summer—resolve and solidify. From ground level, walking or driving near the structure, CHRYSALIS GATE is an exercise in simultanaety, its dynamic multi chromatic appearance on full display.

By communicating the essence of change, growth and renewal, CHRYSALIS GATE aspires to be an inviting salutation, a signal to Buffalo citizens and visitors alike that all comers are welcomed, valued and celebrated.

View from Northeast

Concept Sketch