Franconia Boat Tower
Franconia Boat Tower. Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer, MN. 2015. Found Vintage Boats, Recycled Telephone Poles, Douglas Fir, Simpson Strong Ties, Steel Hardware, Cement Footings. Wood Base 28 x 8 x 9 feet. Overall 32 x 19 x 9 feet. Site diameter appx. 100 feet.
The Franconia Boat Tower is a site-specific found vintage boat sculpture that reflects upon human interaction within an atypical nautical boat lift ecosystem, questioning ideas of natural decay, boat dematerialization, and organic shape shifting during seasonal change. Sited along two tree lines in a former corn pasture, the four midwestern metal and wooden boats found online are: Chris Craft, Crestliner, Parkers Prairie, and SouthWest. Boats face South, structure aligns NSEW with the cardinal directions, and rainwater flows through each forming multiple tiny waterfalls and icicles. The boat tower sculptural ecosystem becomes natural habitat to numerous species, including varmints, birds, and bugs.
Pete Driessen credits The Jerome Foundation, Franconia Sculpture Park, and others for their financial support of this site specific public art project.
Franconia Boat Tower Links:
Franconia Boat Tower in FSP Spotlight