Rainbow Forest is a public art display in Athens, Georgia, serving as a permanent example of creativity in the built environment.
Embodying the intersection of art and architecture, Rainbow Forest is built with standard, 8” x 8” x 8” concrete block masonry units. It is made up of a grid of 36 tall, two-colored columns that are brightly visible from the road, and define the entrance piece to the neighboring Greenway Trail.
Each column stands 12-feet high, spaced out 6-feet apart from the next. The effect of the spacing and varied coloration of the columns is their ability to evoke myriad messages, from celebrations of diversity and individualism to race and sexual liberation, while also commenting on the long history and habitable nature of large-scale public art works featuring unspecified, user-oriented programs and functions.
Through its pragmatic use of materials, Rainbow Forest is able to endure all weather conditions, at the same time promoting the roles that architecture and art can have in sparking the imagination of the public.
Client: City of Athens
Program: Cultural, Public Art Project
Status: Built
Size:1,156 SF
Location: Athens, GA
Team: Andrew Kovacs, Kyle May, Max Harden, Elinor (Eli) Saragoussi, Patrick Sprague
Images: Dustin Chambers