Weather Field No. 2

Washington University in St. Louis

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Project Details
Size
235 SF
Year
2018
Location
St. Louis, MO
Collaborators

Inigo Mañglano-Ovalle

Honors

2023 Merit Award, ASLA St. Louis

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Project Summary

The Art on Campus program is a percent-for-art program at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum of Washington University, and a growing collection of public artworks by nationally and internationally recognized artists. Arbolope Studio has been engaged by the University over a number of years to provide landscape design and siting design for the installation of public artworks for this program, culminating most recently with the installation of Chakaia Booker’s Shaved Portions in the summer of 2022. Additional artists include Ayse Erkmen, Inigo Mañglano-Ovalle, and Dan Graham.

Collaborating with the curatorial team and artists, Arbolope has carefully considered the formal qualities of each artwork, placing the campus and sculptures in dialogue with one another through their site design. Taken together, all 4 collaborations between WUSTL, the artists, and Arbolope prove the value of promoting the generative intersection of art, education, and design.

Weather Field No. 2 is the second iteration of a site-specific work by the Chicago-based artist Inigo Mañglano-Ovalle, consisting of 46 stainless steel poles arranged in a highly ordered diamond. Each pole is topped with a weather vane and an anemometer, which all come together to produce an unpredictable microclimate within the installation space. 

The sculpture is prominently placed at the center of Millstone Plaza, an important northern entrance to Washington University’s campus. The sculpture is set within a “composed field” of monolithic liriope plants, forming an elegant evergreen foundation from which the poles appear to weightlessly emerge .

The careful alignment of the plants reflects the geometric sculptural layout, while also introducing subtle variations in height, color and density that are natural for plant material. Bursts of color in the spring from tall allium bulbs and in ate summer from liriope contribute to the dynamic quality of the piece by giving it seasonal visual interest. 

Additional project components such as a thin stainless steel metal edge, sculptural lighting, a drainage strategy, and complex structural elements were highly coordinated to subtly but effectively function within the tightly packed site without detracting from the artist’s vision for the sculpture. 

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Documentation
Diagram showing how weather field at washington university campus works, designed by arbolope studio
Sub-grade footings and electrical support the sculpture and lighting while on-grade plantings allow for the posts to rise seamlessly from the ground plane.
Up close image of triangle planting beds surrounding multiple anemometers on washington university campus in st louis missouri
Liriope was chosen as a ground cover for its consistency across the calendar year. Bursts of color in the spring from tall allium bulbs contribute to the dynamic quality of the piece by giving it seasonal visual interest.
Diagram planting plan for weather field on washington university campus here in st louis missouri
Thick yet low-profile steel edging mirrors the materiality of the artwork, while the diamond footprint responds to the symmetry of the surrounding site.
Anemometers high in the sky against white clouds, reading wind speeds on washington university campus in st louis missouri
Up close image of triangle planting beds surrounding multiple anemometers on washington university campus in st louis missouri

Weather Field No. 2

Washington University in St. Louis

Location

St. Louis, MO

Size

235 SF

Services

Landscape Architecture
Public Art

Completion

2018

Collaborators

Inigo Mañglano-Ovalle

Honors & Awards

2023 Merit Award, ASLA St. Louis

The Art on Campus program is a percent-for-art program at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum of Washington University, and a growing collection of public artworks by nationally and internationally recognized artists. Arbolope Studio has been engaged by the University over a number of years to provide landscape design and siting design for the installation of public artworks for this program, culminating most recently with the installation of Chakaia Booker’s Shaved Portions in the summer of 2022. Additional artists include Ayse Erkmen, Inigo Mañglano-Ovalle, and Dan Graham.

Collaborating with the curatorial team and artists, Arbolope has carefully considered the formal qualities of each artwork, placing the campus and sculptures in dialogue with one another through their site design. Taken together, all 4 collaborations between WUSTL, the artists, and Arbolope prove the value of promoting the generative intersection of art, education, and design.

Weather Field No. 2 is the second iteration of a site-specific work by the Chicago-based artist Inigo Mañglano-Ovalle, consisting of 46 stainless steel poles arranged in a highly ordered diamond. Each pole is topped with a weather vane and an anemometer, which all come together to produce an unpredictable microclimate within the installation space. 

The sculpture is prominently placed at the center of Millstone Plaza, an important northern entrance to Washington University’s campus. The sculpture is set within a “composed field” of monolithic liriope plants, forming an elegant evergreen foundation from which the poles appear to weightlessly emerge .

The careful alignment of the plants reflects the geometric sculptural layout, while also introducing subtle variations in height, color and density that are natural for plant material. Bursts of color in the spring from tall allium bulbs and in ate summer from liriope contribute to the dynamic quality of the piece by giving it seasonal visual interest. 

Additional project components such as a thin stainless steel metal edge, sculptural lighting, a drainage strategy, and complex structural elements were highly coordinated to subtly but effectively function within the tightly packed site without detracting from the artist’s vision for the sculpture. 

Diagram showing how weather field at washington university campus works, designed by arbolope studio Up close image of triangle planting beds surrounding multiple anemometers on washington university campus in st louis missouri Diagram planting plan for weather field on washington university campus here in st louis missouri
Sub-grade footings and electrical support the sculpture and lighting while on-grade plantings allow for the posts to rise seamlessly from the ground plane.
Liriope was chosen as a ground cover for its consistency across the calendar year. Bursts of color in the spring from tall allium bulbs contribute to the dynamic quality of the piece by giving it seasonal visual interest.
Thick yet low-profile steel edging mirrors the materiality of the artwork, while the diamond footprint responds to the symmetry of the surrounding site.
Anemometers high in the sky against white clouds, reading wind speeds on washington university campus in st louis missouri
Up close image of triangle planting beds surrounding multiple anemometers on washington university campus in st louis missouri