Coming Soon: Lake Thoreau Spillway As Public Art Project

South Lakes High School art students are teaming with the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) for a temporary art installation at the Lake Thoreau spillway.

The project stemmed from a request from a Lake Thoreau resident in 2011. The man, who wishes to remain unnamed, said the concrete spillway that can be seen from South Lakes Drive could use some improvement — and if the community could get together on a student project, he would offer a scholarship, said IPAR executive director Anne Delaney.

Delaney said she wanted the students to have a real life artist experience, from proposal to preliminary sketches to approvals and installation.

“What was important to IPAR, Reston Association and SLHS was to provide students with a real life experience that any professional artist would go through in the development of a public art project in Reston,” Delaney said.

“We wanted to make the project relevant to students and give them a unique experience.”

Four SLHS students rose to the challenge. Sammy Nazam, Gabriella Rando, Margaret Lashley, and Tehmeena Salahin worked to create the work  titled “Pyramid of Light.” The final design includes multicolors plexiglass panels in a pyramid shape that will move with the wind.

The students made three presentations to the IPAR and the RA Design Review Board over the last six months, Delaney said. The final concept was approved by the DRB in March.

The project will have a test run in Lake Audubon this weekend. The real installation should be either May 2 or May 5, said SLHS art teacher Marco Rando, an advisor to the students.

Photos courtesy of IPAR