New York–based artist Sarah Oppenheimer creates works of art that alter the built environment and shift our frame of spatial reference. Pushing the boundaries between sculpture and architecture, Oppenheimer questions the limits of both mediums, upending our experience of inside and out, and inverting our sense of what is near and far. By reorienting the spaces we inhabit, the artist sets out to reconfigure the way we see and are seen.
With an MFA in painting from Yale University, Oppenheimer operates within the disciplines of mechanical, structural, and behavioral engineering. The artist’s relationship to these fields makes C-010106 ideally situated between two buildings at the Cockrell School of Engineering.
At opposite ends of the footbridge, a pair of diagonal reflective glass plates are sandwiched between a pair of clear glass sheets. At the intersection of the four panes, the glass passes through an incision in the bridge surface. The reflective surfaces within the incision create unexpected views, enabling pedestrians on top of the bridge to see the reflections of those underneath, and vice versa.
A bridge serves as a connector between spaces and people by making travel from one building to another more efficient and direct. By placing glass forms on the north/south and east/west axes of this bridge, Oppenheimer creates a “switch” that interrupts the normal flow of traffic and habitual ways of movement. This alteration invites us to embrace observation and encourages unexpected social interactions. As a result, C-010106 introduces new relationships between people and heightens awareness of the shifting light, sound, and seasons that surround us.
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NEW COMMISSION BY SARAH OPPENHEIMER OPENS AT UT AUSTIN, PART OF LANDMARKS’ PUBLIC ART PROGRAM
C-010106 represents artist’s first entirely outdoor work and largest to date
July 11, 2022 – Austin, Texas – Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin, announces the opening of C-010106, a major new work by New York-based artist Sarah Oppenheimer. Commissioned by Landmarks for UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering, C-010106 consists of two structures positioned at opposite ends of a new pedestrian footbridge on the Texas Engineering campus. Each structure features four panes of glass¾two reflective, diagonal sheets sandwiched between two vertical sheets. At the intersection of the four panes, the glass passes through an incision in the bridge’s surface, enabling pedestrians on top of the bridge to see the reflections of those underneath, and vice versa.
C-010106 will open in late August and will be celebrated on September 15 with an online conversation between Oppenheimer and Lumi Tan (Senior Curator at The Kitchen, New York). The event will also feature a video premiere of a new work of choreography by ARCOS, inspired by C-010106. Registration is free and open to the public.
Oppenheimer pushes the boundaries between sculpture and architecture, questioning the limits of both mediums. The artist shifts our frame of spatial reference, displacing our experience of inside and out, and inverting our sense of what is near and far. In doing so, Oppenheimer heightens our awareness of the shared environment and creates unexpected opportunities for social exchange.
“We’re working with an inventor who questions everything,” said Landmarks Founding Director and Curator Andrée Bober. “Oppenheimer draws scientists and engineers into a journey that is driven by curiosity. I can’t think of a more apt place for this work than the center of innovation and discovery at the Cockrell School of Engineering.”
“C-010106 is a catalyst: it reconfigures social patterns emerging within the flux of public place. I am eager to see the piece animated by intimate exchanges passing through and around its contours,” said Oppenheimer.
C-010106 is Oppenheimer’s first entirely outdoor public work and is among the artist’s largest works to date. Sited on the Peyton Yates Family footbridge connecting the Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC) to the new Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering Building (GLT)— designed through a collaboration of Jacobs and Ennead—the work features architectural materials that have been engineered with unique specificity.
“Sarah has developed an extremely thoughtful concept that challenges our perceptions and uses materials in an innovative manner,” said Sharon L. Wood, former dean of the Cockrell School and current university provost. “The fusion of art and engineering creates an exciting opportunity for our community, and I believe C-010106 will inspire future generations of Texas Engineering students to think creatively about technical challenges.”
Since its founding in 2008, Landmarks has become a leading university public art program in the United States. Under the leadership of founding director and curator Andrée Bober, Landmarks continues to expand its programming and collection, which is publicly accessible and free to all, providing opportunities for students and visitors to engage with great works of art. Displayed across UT Austin’s 433-acre campus, the collection comprises 28 sculptures on long-term loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art along with acquisitions and commissions by artists including Michael Ray Charles, Ann Hamilton, Simone Leigh, José Parlá, Nancy Rubins, Jennifer Steinkamp, and James Turrell.
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ABOUT SARAH OPPENHEIMER
Sarah Oppenheimer (b. 1972, Austin, Texas) has lived and worked in New York City since earning a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in 1995 and an Master in Fine Arts from Yale University in 1999. Oppenheimer’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions at Kunstmuseum Thun, Switzerland (2020); MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts (2019); the Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (2017); the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Florida (2016); MUDAM: Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg (2016); and Kunsthaus Baselland, Muttenz, Switzerland (2014). The artist is a recipient of the Rome Prize Fellowship (2011–12), Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship (2009), and Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship (2007). Oppenheimer is currently a senior critic at the Yale University School of Art. sarahoppenheimer.com
ABOUT LANDMARKS
Landmarks is the award-winning public art program of The University of Texas at Austin and the College of Fine Arts. Landmarks’ collection of modern and contemporary art celebrates diverse perspectives, featuring commissioned projects alongside sculptures on long-term loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Landmarks inspires thought and growth by making great art free and accessible to all. For more information: landmarksut.org
ABOUT THE COCKRELL SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
The Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology advancement and engineering education for more than a century. Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished industry and academic leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. For more information: cockrell.utexas.edu
Image caption: Sarah Oppenheimer, Detail of C-010106, 2022. Photo by Richard Barnes
Additional information and high-resolution images available here.
Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin,
Announces New Commission by Sarah Oppenheimer Opening this Fall
Austin, Texas — Landmarks announced today the commission of a major new work by Sarah Oppenheimer. The Artist creates precise forms that alter the built environment and shift our frames of spatial reference. The commission, titled C-010106, comprises a pair of dynamic apertures inserted into a pedestrian footbridge. Glass volumes transect the bridge’s surface, creating new sightlines that generate unexpected social exchange, displace our experience of inside and out, and invert our sense of what is near and far. C-010106 will be unveiled this fall and was recently announced as the recipient of a $20,000 NEA grant.
This commission marks Oppenheimer’s first entirely outdoor public work and is among the artist’s largest to date. The work is sited on the footbridge connecting the Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC) to the new Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering Building (GLT), both designed by Ennead Architects with Jacobs. C-010106 consists of a pair of voids bounded by four panes of glass: two sloped planes are sandwiched between two vertical sheets. By precisely orienting the glass through an incision in the bridge’s surface, the work produces intimate and unexpected views between the footbridge occupants and the pathway beneath. Reflected and refracted sightlines transform the inhabitants’ navigation of place, intermingling unexpected social encounters with a heightened awareness of the shared environment.
“We’re working with an inventor who questions everything,” said Landmarks Founding Director and Curator Andrée Bober. “Oppenheimer draws scientists and engineers into a journey that is driven by curiosity. I can’t think of a more apt place for this work than the center of innovation and discovery at the Cockrell School of Engineering.”
“C-010106 is a catalyst: it reconfigures social patterns emerging within the flux of public place. I am eager to see the piece animated by intimate exchanges passing through and around its contours,” said Oppenheimer.
Landmarks is one of the foremost public art programs at an American university. It launched in 2008 with a long-term loan of 28 sculptures from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Displayed across UT Austin’s 433-acre campus are works by Beverly Pepper, Tony Smith, and Ursula von Rydingsvard, among others. Building upon this foundation and supported by a percent-for-art program, Landmarks has acquired or commissioned 18 works by artists including Michael Ray Charles, Ann Hamilton, José Parlá, Nancy Rubins, and James Turrell. The collection and related public programs expand opportunities for equitable engagement with art.
“Sarah has developed an extremely thoughtful concept that challenges our perceptions and uses materials in an innovative manner,” said Sharon L. Wood, dean of the Cockrell School. “The fusion of art and engineering creates an exciting opportunity for our community, and I believe C-010106 will inspire future generations of Texas Engineering students to think creatively about technical challenges.”
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ABOUT SARAH OPPENHEIMER
Sarah Oppenheimer (b. 1972, Austin, Texas; lives and works in New York City) received a BA from Brown University in 1995 and an MFA from Yale University in 1999. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions at Kunstmuseum Thun, Switzerland (2020); MASS MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts (2019); the Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (2017); the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Florida (2016); MUDAM: Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg (2016); and Kunsthaus Baselland, Muttenz, Switzerland (2014). She is a recipient of the Rome Prize Fellowship (2011–12), Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship (2009), and Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship (2007). Oppenheimer is currently a senior critic at the Yale University School of Art. On August 28, 2021, the solo museum exhibition Sarah Oppenheimer: Sensitive Machine will open at the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College.
ABOUT LANDMARKS
Landmarks is the award-winning public art program of The University of Texas at Austin and the College of Fine Arts. Landmarks’ collection of modern and contemporary art celebrates diverse perspectives, featuring commissioned projects alongside sculptures on long-term loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Landmarks inspires thought and growth by making great art free and accessible to all. For more information: landmarksut.org
ABOUT THE COCKRELL SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
The Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology advancement and engineering education for more than a century. Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished industry and academic leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy and health care. For more information: www.engr.utexas.edu
Landmarks commissioned artist Sarah Oppenheimer to create a work that activates the pedestrian bridge between the Engineering Education and Research Center (EER) and the new Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering Building (GLT). C-010106 is comprised of two monumental glass forms that transect the surface of the bridge, creating new sightlines from above and below.
Funding for C-010106 was provided by the GLT building capital improvement project for the Cockrell School of Engineering. Landmarks gives special thanks to the following:
Leadership
Darrell Bazzell and Financial and Administrative Services
Andrée Bober and Landmarks
Roger Bonnecaze and the Cockrell School of Engineering
Campus Master Planning Committee
David Darling and the Office of Campus Planning and Facilities Management
Jay Hartzell and the Office of the President
Landmarks Advisory Committee
Ramón Rivera-Servera and the College of Fine Arts
Michael Uyeda and Capital Planning and Construction
Sharon Wood and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Project Team
Arcadia, fabrication
Andrée Bober, curator and director, Landmarks
Nisa Barger, project manager, Landmarks
The Beck Group, construction
Ennead Architects, architecture
Jacobs Engineering, engineering
Sarah Oppenheimer, artist
James Richardson, engineering
Sedak, fabrication
Patrick Sheehy Fine Art Services, art installation
Werner Sobek, engineering
Thorton Thomasetti, engineering
TriPyramid, fabrication
UAP, project management
Keith Westmoreland, Capital Planning and Construction
Special Thanks
Kevin Alter, School of Architecture
Megan Ardery, Resnicow & Associates
Maggie Bailey, producer
Paul Bardagjy, photography
Richard Barnes, photography
Frank Bross, collections, Landmarks
Haley Carloni, ArtTable
Nathan Carruth, Jacobs
Anoush Crane, event planner, Landmarks
Elizabeth Danze, School of Architecture
Douglas Dempster, former dean, College of Fine Arts
John Ekerdt, associate dean, Cockrell School of Engineering
Eliot Fisher, ARCOS
André Fuqua, development, Landmarks
Robert Gilbert, Cockrell School of Engineering
Erica Gionfriddo, ARCOS
Austin Jarvis, Folding Enterprises
Bill Haddad, technology manager, Landmarks
Ken Haughton, Jacobs
Teresa Hubbard, College of Fine Arts
Andrew Ina, photography
Mary Margaret Kennedy, operations, Landmarks
Grant Kightlinger, Pivotal Lighting Design
Emily Kirkland, Ennead Architects
Logan Larsen, communications, Landmarks
Ryan Lewandowski, Ennead
Rubén Martínez, Martinez Moore
Andres Mazry, Jacobs
Christina Murrey, photography
Alex O'Briant, Ennead Architects
Meaghan Perry, conservator, Vault Fine Art Services
Matt Pickens, The Beck Group
Kevin Preuss, CPC construction inspector
Vanessa Rabe, Jacobs
David Rea, former campus planner
David Resnicow, Resnicow & Associates
James Richardson, engineer
Ramón Rivera-Servera, dean, College of Fine Arts
Kyle Sanderson, The Beck Group
Ron Seder, Jacobs
Jim Shackelford, former director, Capital Planning and Construction
Kathleen Brady Stimpert, deputy director, Landmarks
Story Minute, videography
Lumi Tan, curatorial contributor
Stephanie Taparauskas, development, Landmarks
Lauri Tredinnick, Pivotal Lighting Design
Mike Watson, The Beck Group
Catherine Whited, education, Landmarks
Michael Williams, building manager, Cockrell School of Engineering
Justin Wing, The Beck Group
Reagan Woodlock, design, Landmarks
Contact
Landmarks
The University of Texas at Austin
College of Fine Arts
2616 Wichita St., A7100
BWY 3rd Floor
Austin, TX 78712
info@landmarksut.org
512.495.4315
Press Office
Logan Larsen
Digital Content Coordinator
Landmarks
logan.larsen@landmarksut.org
512.232.5904