There’s a ‘Velosaurus’ coming to SE Powell and 17th. That’s the name of a new piece of public art TriMet is set to unveil next week. The art is part of their Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project and it’s slated to line the new biking and walking path where SE 17th Avenue and the new MAX line cross over SE Powell.
Michelle Traver from TriMet says the Velosaurus panels will be, “Placed in the abutment walls along the multi-use paths that run east and west underneath the light rail structure that will cross Powell at SE 17th Avenue. The walls run parallel to Powell and are above the roadway grade.”
According to TriMet’s Mary Fetsch, Velosaurus was made by Portland artist Horatio Law out of bike and skateboard parts donated by from several local bike shops.
On Thursday, TriMet and their project partners will host a preview of the work in southeast Portland.
Fetsch sent over this close-up of the work before it heads down to Salem for some final prep.
To see it for yourself, and learn more about the new biking and walking improvements coming with the PMLR project (while sipping beer and other refreshments), head over to 1215 SE Gideon from 4:30-6:00 Thursday, October 25th. (For more info and/or to RSVP, contact Vanessa Vissar at vissarv@trimet.org or 503-962-2150.)
This is awesome! I love world-class bicycle-art in our public infrastructure. Now if we can get the accompanying world-class bicycle facilities on Powell, like a cycletrack…
I like public art, but the association of dinosaurs with human locomotion is … interesting.
Maybe it symbolizes human-powered vehicles filling the position of fossil fuels?
I agree. It’s rather random. But you know, when it comes to public art I kind of like random. It gets people to stop and look and it sticks in your memory.
Either way, this should be pretty cool.
If I’m not mistaken, it’s the people driving on Powell who will see this. A-haa! It’s really pretty genius, because dinosaurs imply two things in that context:
1) fossils (as in fuel)
2) extinction – which is
a) what a growth-addicted economy hyped-up on fossil fuels leads to, for hundreds of species, possibly including our own, and
b) what will soon happen to the automobile-centered way of life regardless.
Dinosaurs were also generally pretty fast, large, dominant, fearsome, and probably made life hell for each other and everyone else, just like cars.
What I like is how it contains all this, without beating you over the head with it. The proposed “dead car” sculpture on NE Dekum was trying to say the same thing in much less subtle terms.
brilliant, Rol. Thanks for the interpretation.
Hi Rol & all,
To clarify – The Velosaurus panels will be placed in the abutment walls along the multi-use paths that run east and west underneath the light rail structure that will cross Powell at SE 17th Avenue. The walls run parallel to Powell and are above the roadway grade.
that is rad.
Maybe just remember that dinosaurs are the most awesome thing ever, ask any 6 year old.
human power!
Like 🙂
Don’t forget that dinosaurs had feathers!
http://www.nature.com/news/rise-of-the-feathered-dinosaurs-1.10933