Visual Art
Rivers have long provided inspiration for artists, who have represented them through
multiple visual media. A dramatic piece of public art, inspired by the Hillsborough,
can be found right here on the USF Tampa campus.
Tampa Wind, created by sculptor Stacy Levy, is a wind-activated rendering
of a section of the Hillsborough River that passes through the eastern edge of the
Campus. Fabricated from stainless steel, Tampa Wind reflects the changing
light and environmental conditions specific to the site. The work is mounted on
the exterior stair tower wall running the full height of the four-story Natural
and Environmental Sciences facility. There are over 2,000 stainless discs ranging
in size from one and half inches to four inches, attached to individual posts that
emerge from a stainless plate cut to render the topography of the river. The slightest
breeze causes the discs to move creating an ever-changing field of reflected light
that can be seen thousands of yards away from the site. The effect is not unlike
the play between wind and light on water, reminding the viewer of the source of
Levy’s imagery and the phenomena of the natural environment.
Levy states that her interest in the natural world encompasses both art and science,
and that she uses art as a vehicle for translating the processes of the natural
world into the language of human understanding. For more information about her work,
visit her web site at: http://www.stacylevy.com/