Chaos / Balance

Salt Lake City, UT - 2002

For the light rail station in front of the then new Salt Lake City Public Library I was commissioned by the architecture firm of Moshe Safdie and Associates to fabricate  a free standing bronze work to celebrate books. I created 6 different piles of books grouped together on the platform surrounding the sign for the Library stop. Three of the piles were perfectly straight and composed of larger than life bronze books with incised titles referencing logic, law, reason and science. The other three piles were so crooked and out of balance that they could easily tip over. These piles continued titles by the Marquis de Sade, and various artists, anarchists and revolutionaries. The lone volume that sat on top of the station stop sign was entitled “Chaos Balance”, hence the title of the work.