A Beacon Poised: Agent Crystalline by Marc Fornes / Theverymany

As if dynamic vectors were waiting for the starting whistle: this is how Marc Fornes / Theverymany describe their Agent Crystalline sculpture - a beacon poised on the historically protected Northwest Campus of the Edmonton Police Centre in Edmonton, Canada. Inspired by the three-point stance in American football, this installation evokes a feeling of vigilance and acuity, according to Marc Fornes / Theverymany.

In the context of road traffic, the stripes on the object’s orange-coloured outer skin play a decisive role as a signal colour. The aim of the sculptural intervention is to capture the attention of those going past and decelerate their velocity of separation so that the lines of view from all access roads meld into a single focal point: a pinpointed bundling of the kinetic energy of the entire traffic network.

1970s grooves combine with a minimalist aesthetic to create the basic geometry of a tetrahedron wrapped in a double-layered, ultrathin aluminum skin. Working congruently with the inherent language of traffic, the sharp curves and pulsating swirls become a symbol of authority on the police campus.

Further information: 

Height: 8.9m

Width: 10.8m

Length: 18m

Longest Span: 17m

Material System: 2 layers of 3mm aluminum stripes

Number of Parts: 1785

Agent Crystalline is an original work owned by the City of Edmonton and commissioned through the City of Edmonton Public Art Program.