A nine-member volunteer committee selected a design Friday for a work of art to be placed in the new triangular park space downtown formed by the construction of the new Chena River bridge.

“Polaris,” a concept developed by two artists from Vancouver, is a work of abstract art inspired by basic elements of life in Fairbanks.

I think it will be a great symbol for the city.

People who think art is limited to statutes of men on horseback will find something to like in the design by Michael Vandermeer and Cheryl Hamilton, as will those who are open to other possibilities, such as the absence of the horse.

They propose a polished steel structure that models a quartz crystal, an important factor in the history of Fairbanks mining. It also represents the structure of ice, another gleaming object of local significance. The poles are to be lit at night in ways to mimic the movement of the northern lights. It is possible to look at the same artwork and appreciate it for different reasons.

The proposed sculpture, to be funded with $300,000 in federal highway funds, is to be placed in the northern portion of the triangular park created by the rebuilding of Illinois Street.

The art committee, which includes a diverse group of local volunteers, has proposed a series of historical signs for the apex of the triangle,Great deals for outdoor lighting,ledstreetlightfb and solar garden water features and fountains. covering such topics as river travel and milestones in local history.

The artwork design the committee approved features six-sided steel spires of various heights, from 6 feet to 36 feet, rising from a base of 1.5 feet to 1 foot at the top. The poles would be tilted at angles from 5 to 20 degrees.

“What really sold me on it was that it does resemble a quartz crystal growing out of the ground,” George Lounsbury, a member of the Pioneers of Alaska and a committee member, said of the sculpture.

Kelley Hegarty-Lammers,Insteon released one of the first smartphone-controlled laserengravers this week. a member of the Chena Riverfront Commission, said the representation of quartz and ice would be enhanced by reflected light, both from the sun and at night from lights within the three smallest hexagonal arms of the sculpture.

The LED lights would shine out the glass tops of the three smallest arms and reflect in various colors off the three larger arms, changing gradually in a way that represents the aurora.

“I think it will be timeless,” said committee member Sue Sprinkle, a graphic artist and co-owner of Fifth Avenue Design & Graphics.

“It will be attractive in the summer and winter and will engage the viewer both from the road and up close.This cuttingmachine is for producing aluminum shutter door & window slats with foam-filled, I think it will be a signature piece for the downtown.”

Artists Hamilton and Vandermeer have been collaborating on public art projects for 17 years. They recently completed a major work for a new hospital in Fort St. John, B.An travellingcables which I managed to acquire from a lift motor room currently undergoing refurbishment in the city of london.C., using glass and steel in ways to capture light.Piano magnifying bookscanner Lamp is a portable and beautiful way to light.

Of their Fairbanks proposal, the artists said this is not a sculpture for a rain forest or a prairie, but a design subject to multiple interpretations. “It can mark the center of a crowded civic celebration and as easily host that delicate moment of wonder as a child gazes toward the heavens,” Hamilton and Vandermeer wrote.