Update from Cliff Garten MFA 78 CR
Cliff Garten Studio presents Rassambleau, a landscape sculpture at 300 Alexander Court in Philadelphia, PA.
The project was commissioned by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Agency’s Percent for Art Program and in collaboration with the design team, which includes the developer, Property Reserve Inc., and Robert A.M. Stern Architects.
Rassambleau creates a new public street, pocket park and motor court located between the new Alexander apartment tower and The Church of the Latter-Day meeting house, both designed by Robert A.M. Stern. This project creates an elegant and welcoming streetscape with a courtyard that speaks to the historic context of the neighborhood and the strong tradition of Philadelphia’s brick and masonry architecture. A three-ton granite fountain is the center of Alexander Court. The ensemble of linked sculptures consists of courtyard paving, bronze luminaries, curb swales (as part of storm water management), granite fountain sculptures, stone benches and other elements Garten uses in the development of his landscape sculpture.
Rassambleau challenges the quality of the street environment and storm water management infrastructure to explore design possibilities for rain gardens in an innovative manner. The project merges the space of the private courtyard of the apartment building with a small public park and fountain, opposite the main granite fountain in Alexander Court by borrowing views from adjacent fountains the project merges public and private spaces, providing a new model for public/private development in the City of Philadelphia.
