SURGE (ICOSAHEDRON SCULPTURE)
PROPOSAL BY: TONY VIEIRA & ROBERT DE IESO
HAMILTON | THE ELECTRIC CITY PROPOSAL
180 VAN WAGNER BEACH SCULPTURE
(Short-listed but not selected for installation)
Surge will reflect the complex social, environmental, and physical impact that AC hydroelectric power, developed by Nikola Tesla and brought to Hamilton by the five Johns, has had and continues to have on the city. This immersive sculpture will showcase the role that AC power played as a catalyst for Hamilton’s development, influencing its population through an immigration boom and shaping the city physically and culturally. The spirit of innovation embodied by Tesla will serve as an inspiration to youth today, encouraging them to embrace a sense of responsible and balanced innovation for the future. The sculpture will also explore our changing relationship to energy as it transitioned from the visible to the invisible, with hydroelectricity becoming quiet, cheap, constant, and easier to take for granted. As a sustainable technology, this project will create a memorable element within the Hamilton waterfront landscape and serve as a reminder of the importance of responsible innovation moving forward.
The shape of the icosahedron was chosen as the physical structure of Surge due to its symbolic meaning within the group of five Platonic solids as the shape that represents water. In Plato’s cosmological dialogue, Timaeus (427-347 BCE), he states “Water, the icosahedron, flows out of one’s hand when picked up, as if it is made of tiny little balls.”
The icosahedron shape is made up of 20 interconnected equilateral triangles. This shape represents not only the elegant complexity of Tesla’s numerous technological innovations, but also the interconnectedness of the local communities as a result of the transmission of power from the Niagara region and the countless ways in which modern life has become intertwined with the technologies that would not have existed without Nikola Tesla. In more recent times, the icosahedron has been used as a symbol of unity and harmony in various contexts, such as art, architecture, and design. It has also appeared as a symbol of the interconnectedness of all things and as a representation
of the concept of a holistic or unified worldview. The inverted triangle is the alchemical symbol representing water, and was an inspiration for the triangle as a recurring theme in the Surge structure.
The icosahedron shape is made up of 20 interconnected equilateral triangles. This shape represents not only the elegant complexity of Tesla’s numerous technological innovations, but also the interconnectedness of the local communities as a result of the transmission of power from the Niagara region and the countless ways in which modern life has become intertwined with the technologies that would not have existed without Nikola Tesla. In more recent times, the icosahedron has been used as a symbol of unity and harmony in various contexts, such as art, architecture, and design. It has also appeared as a symbol of the interconnectedness of all things and as a representation
of the concept of a holistic or unified worldview. The inverted triangle is the alchemical symbol representing water, and was an inspiration for the triangle as a recurring theme in the Surge structure.
Transmission of Electricity
The orientation of the Surge structure has been chosen as a way of evoking the history of hydro electric power transmission from the Niagara region to Hamilton and beyond. The east facing equilateral triangles will be adorned with laser cut stencils of symbols reflective of the source of the power that transformed everyday life for Hamiltonians of the late 19th century, while the west facing triangles will be etched with shapes that signify the transformation & application of hydroelectric power past and present, and the future of solar and wind as renewable sources of energy.
The orientation of the Surge structure has been chosen as a way of evoking the history of hydro electric power transmission from the Niagara region to Hamilton and beyond. The east facing equilateral triangles will be adorned with laser cut stencils of symbols reflective of the source of the power that transformed everyday life for Hamiltonians of the late 19th century, while the west facing triangles will be etched with shapes that signify the transformation & application of hydroelectric power past and present, and the future of solar and wind as renewable sources of energy.
Surge is at once a sculpture and a place for mindful repose. Surge will allow visitors to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of this unique waterfront location, thus enact- ing a state of placemaking. When the sun is overheard, the stencil designs of the dark metal interior will appear to glow with the sun’s radiance and create shadow designs on the lower interior of the icosahedron structure. And when sitting or standing inside the Surge structure, the visitor will be able to look upward and be reminded of the legacy of Hamilton The Electric City by way of the words of a remarkable quote etched on the upper most triangle of the Surge structure. Panel exteriors will be a white finish and panel interiors will be a black finish as this stark contrast will enable the stencil designs to be clearly visible when viewing from inside or outside of the structure.
