Jenna Didier
photo by Leslie Williamson, from Didier’s websitejenna didier
Jenna Didier is a sculptor whose work with water and public space promotes stewardship of ecologies within cities and on public lands. Via community collaborations, she promotes inclusivity, empowering voices and visions that are not commonly foregrounded in public space.
“My work is site-specific, materially responsive, and generates collectivity. I think of a city as an organism whose life force is constructed by networks. To sustain these networks, communities generate infrastructures through repeated daily activities and service-focused utilities. Awareness of one’s impact on natural resources – or even their proximity – can alter daily habits and their impact upon local resources, thereby improving the health of a city.
My strategy is to generate tangible forms that expose environmental factors not immediately perceptible at a site. I begin by listening to those to be served – seeking out especially the voices of those who are often overlooked. I then research underlying geological, ecological, and historical conditions at a site. I trace air currents, solar paths, weather patterns, and the watershed. I observe flora, fauna, the flow of people, data, and resources at the site. Discovering needs, I respond by stacking functions to solve as many concerns as possible – including our need for beauty. The result is civically-embedded generative machines, aka “public art works”. I have also founded public platforms that invite everyone into the process of hands-on experimentation and debate in the built environment.”