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The Block’s house was once a foundry office. Adjacent to the house is the original furnace structure that was seriously deteriorated which they completely restored. The furnace is a powerful symbol of the historic significance of the property and is its visual heart. |
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Alterations to the house included the conversion of the existing garage to a kitchen capped by a traditional weather vane. Over the years the vane deteriorated and fell apart. |
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Traditionally, roof vanes have had functions beyond that of decorative wind direction indicators. They also have a long history as signifiers ---- visually identifying the use of the property and/or the trade of its occupants. |
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Respecting that tradition, the Blocks chose to commission a unique work of art as their new vane. Reflecting and celebrating the historic nature of the property, they chose to incorporate iron artifacts that had been unearthed on the site. |
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The sculpture vane has a vertical central shaft crossed by a horizontal arch that supports an identification banner. It features small iron pieces and scraps formed into letters that spell the name Block. Suspended from the ends of the banner are dimpled steel discs. Free to sway in the wind they give physical and visual balance to the composition. |
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The sculpture vane is characterized by visual lightness providing glimpses of the trees and sky in the spaces within and between its component parts and shadows cast. The various iron pieces have their own natural rusted patinas that reflect light and color differently depending upon the weather, time of day and season. There is also visual tension created by the movement of the discs that contrasts with the stability of the sculpture that is physically grounded in the cupola roof. |