Stairs Pgh
Proposal
This is a proposal for a public art installation which will consist of ornamental stair tread risers to be inserted into the spaces between the stair treads on many of the city steps here in Pittsburgh, PA. These stair risers are to be cast of reinforced concrete and ornamented before installation. In addition to being artistic, these stair risers will make the stairs more comfortable to climb by blocking the sometimes unsettling view between the stairs. These inserts are designed to allow normal stair maintenance while improving the appearance of the stairs and their ease of use.
Art Stairs
These stair risers can be ornamented in a variety of ways. Each stair riser will have a recessed area where mosaic tiles or other raised artwork can be applied on the riser on the staircase. The concrete of these inserts can also be stained in a variety of colors, perhaps to create a rainbow effect from the bottom to the top of a flight of stairs. To further ornament these risers, stained areas can be masked and sand blasted with various artistic patterns or even written words. Sand blasting through a rubberized mask is the modern method used to letter gravestones.
Poetry Stairs!
Extending the idea of having written words on the stairs, poetry could be written on each staircase with a few words written on each riser. The idea is that as a person climbs the stairs, they could read a poem starting at the bottom of the stairs and going up. Staircases in the city could become named with the poetry that they contain. We could have a Yates staircase near a college or a Dr. Seuss staircase near a grammar school. For shorter staircases that could be read all at once, a limerick might start at the top step and go the bottom. For even shorter staircases, a haiku may do!
