Wayfinding truly captures the creative and collaborative spirit of Detroit —Anthony Curis, Library Street Collective
On Wednesday, August 16, 2017, Wayfinding, an art installation and public skate park opened to the public at Bedrock’s Monroe Blocks development in Detroit, MI with skateboarding icon Tony Hawk there, along with children from Detroit’s Summer in the City Program.
Wayfinding is a 4600 sq. ft. art installation and public skate park by artist Ryan McGinness and Tony Hawk, the most influential skateboarder of all time. Wayfinding was built by George Leichtweis of Modern Skate and Surf, a huge player on the local skate scene since the 1970s, who also designed the Fisher Halfpipe. The park was designed to maximize fun and includes six skate-able elements inspired by Detroit as well as a viewing area for spectators.
Located on the site of Bedrock’s future Monroe Blocks development, the area bounded by Randolph Street, Bates Street, Cadillac Square and Monroe Avenue, Wayfinding opened to the public on Wednesday, August 16. The park is scheduled to remain open until Monroe Blocks construction begins, slated for January 2018. Wayfinding’s functional and mobile design will allow it to move to another location in the city following the Monroe Blocks groundbreaking.
The term “wayfinding” refers to the discipline applied to guiding people through a physical environment. These strategies for helping people navigate space are usually applied by architects and designers.When in the hands of a skateboarder and artist, the traditional guidelines for wayfinding get upended. Architectural elements and signage that were intended for one purpose are subverted. Skateboarders by nature see the urban environment and architecture differently, navigating and experiencing the physical environment in motion.
Hawk repurposed benches, rails, ramps, and curbs as props to serve the expression of skaters’ skills and tricks. McGinness used authoritative signs that normally dictate behavior with a universally understood visual language and undermines those forms with surreal and absurd imagery. Both approaches destabilize conventional utilities of forms in urban environments, reinforcing the concept that skating is about skating things not created for being skated.
Wayfinding was originally proposed and produced by Library Street Collective with support from Cranbrook Art Museum and is presented by Bedrock and the Quicken Loans Family of Companies.
About Library Street Collective
Library Street Collective is a gallery based in downtown Detroit that hosts exhibitions of cutting edge contemporary artists with a focus on emerging and established artists who have pushed the boundaries of traditional medium and exhibition space. LSC also contributes to Detroit’s artistic renaissance with public art projects.
Located in the heart of downtown Detroit, LSC presents regular group and solo exhibitions while contributing to the artistic renaissance of the city's public, private, and heritage spaces.
Library Street Collective partners with Bedrock often to add visual art to downtown Detroit’s skyline, including large scale projects like The Z parking garage featuring the work of 27 muralists, and The Belt—a formerly disused alley that has been transformed by Library Street Collective and Bedrock into a dynamic public space offering visitors entertainment, public arts programming and dining.