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Public Art

In conjunction with the Ruocco Park design, the Port's Public Art Office is managing the implementation of an exciting public art project. Artist Roman de Salvo was selected by a community-based selection panel from a pool of qualified artists and awarded the public art contract for Ruocco Park.

De Salvo believes Ruocco Park is to be celebrated. His concept represents a unique sculptural approach to this purpose. To conceive a fitting celebration of this park, he looked to the work of the park's namesake for ideas.

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Lloyd and Ilse Ruocco were highly respected designers in the mid-20th century. Over the course of de Salvo's visits to several Ruocco buildings, he perceived a pattern of how Ruocco's architecture typically addresses the street. The front of a Ruocco building is often very plain. This plainness functions as a veil to surprising views of the landscape discovered upon entering the building – be it a lush garden, a wild canyon or a breathtaking expanse of ocean.

De Salvo intends to borrow Ruocco's approach to framing the landscape in his sculpture. The gateway at the corner of Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway will address the city in a conventional fashion with colonnades and landscaping. By contrast, passage through the gateway will be a dramatic experience. The open park and bay initially obscured by the veils of colonnades and landscaping, will suddenly be displayed before the viewer in full splendour. Overhead, a web of splayed and spliced together tree limbs will span sinuously across the space and gesture ornately in the direction of the park and bay. This trellis sculpture will welcome the public and serve as a celebratory framing device of the park.

A public meeting was held on July 15, at which de Salvo presented his concept proposal to incorporate public artwork into the design of the park and took comments and suggestions regarding the concept.

The Public Art Advisory Committee reviewed his art design at their meeting on September 29, 2010 and recommended to staff approval of de Salvo's art design.

On October 12, 2010 at the sixth Ruocco Park public meeting he presented his art design to the public and took further comments and suggestions. De Salvo is now in the fabrication phase of the project.