TYPHA
JOE RICHÉ
PROJECT PROFILE:
Artist: Joe Riché
Title: Typha
Materials: Stainless Steel, Cast Resin, LED Lighting
Fabrication + Installation: Demiurge
Engineering:
Location: Denver, Colorado
Typha, a new series of two twenty-foot tall stainless steel and resin sculptures, is standing tall in Denver, CO along the country’s longest continuous commercial street: Colfax Ave.
The two sites are located at Irving St./Zenobia St. at West Colfax Ave. on Denver’s "Gateway to the Rockies," which takes travelers from the plains to the mountains. Joe Riché harkened back to the icon of Colfax Ave. when creating this work for the West Colfax Business Improvement District.
Working with high volume resin castings, Demiurge’s challenge in fabricating Typha was that the resin had a tendency to crack under the high temperatures associated with the curing process. Always up for a production challenge, even with their own art, Demiurge solved the issue by working with their resin vendor's chemist to develop a formula that could withstand the temperatures created during the curing process in addition to submerging the castings in water to further control the curing temperature.
The West Colfax BID promotes business expansion, investment and development and sponsors improvements to the ROW to recast West Colfax Avenue as Denver's sustainable Main Street.