Rodadora Frontera (Border Tumbleweed) 2014
stainless steel, fasteners, truck mirrors
Tornillo-Guadalupe U.S. Port of Entry, Tornillo, TX
Art in Architecture program, Fine Arts Collection General Services Administration
Taking inspiration from structures in biology and nature, Rodadora Frontera is a close-packed geometric lattice, further abstracted by the addition of common truck mirrors and their various armatures. The randomly placed mirrors gather light and reflect surroundings and sky, changing its appearance throughout the day. This ethereal form hovers within the fenced area of the U.S.-Mexico Tornillo border crossing, situated twenty miles southeast of El Paso/Juarez. U.S. Customs built the port to redirect the heavy truck traffic away from the city ports. Named after the common tumbleweed, an icon of desert plants known for their ability to disperse seeds far and wide. Border Tumbleweed is fixed, mid-flight, near the border fence, there to reflect and disperse the surrounding light.
* In Euclidian geometry; a solid formed by four triangles -- in this case it is a series of irregular 3-simplexes. Tetrahedrons are indivisible units – a basic structural element, or The minimum prime divisor of the omni-directional universe. (Fuller)
