Eternal Flame for Scott Burton by Oscar Tuazon at Powerhouse Arts

project overview

Powerhouse Arts collaborated with artist Oscar Tuazon and OSO Industries to restore and reinterpret Scott Burton’s final commission into Eternal Flame for Scott Burton, a public artwork commissioned by the New York City AIDS Memorial that reimagines the final public installation by artist Scott Burton.

Originally created for the Sheepshead Bay fishing piers through New York City's Percent for Art program in 1987, Burton's concrete sculpture was irreparably damaged after decades of exposure to the marine environment and the impact of Superstorm Sandy. Working from the salvaged original elements, Tuazon envisioned a renewed installation that honors Burton's legacy while introducing the work to a new generation of visitors.

Powerhouse Arts partnered closely with Tuazon throughout the restoration and fabrication process, carefully deconstructing and repairing the original concrete components while integrating newly fabricated elements into the installation. The project included concrete restoration, granite sourcing and fabrication, the construction of a custom steel support structure, electrical integration, and the assembly of historic and contemporary materials into a cohesive new work.

‍

Project Team Members (Powerhouse Arts Staff):
Alec Reed, Brittni Collins, Cuba, Dan Quinn, Kelsey Breen, Rich Watts, Sheyda Azar, Tommy Coleman, Vivian Pullan

Materials & Dimensions:
Terrazzo, granite, steel, concrete, salvaged materials

Commissioner/Funder/Presenter:
‍New York City AIDS Memorial

No items found.

Photography by Nicholas Knight, courtesy of the New York City AIDS Memorial

‍

artist biography

Oscar Tuazon’s work has roots in minimalism, conceptualism, and architecture, and has a direct relationship with both the site in which it is presented, as well as with the viewer, often through physical engagement. Although he identifies primarily as a sculptor and his work is informed by minimalist strategies, Tuazon’s practice occupies a position between architecture and activism, and his concern is with relationality and presence over purity in form. Made with a combination of industrial and natural materials such as wood, concrete, glass, steel, and piping, his works, often large-scale installations, consist of structures that foreground their own means of construction. He considers a sculptural installation as homologous to a house: both are continuously built, repaired, and maintained. By extension, the act of inhabiting or occupying a space functions as a kind of artistic production, serving as the undercurrent of his predominantly site-specific practice.

The artist is working towards the foundation of Cedar Spring Water School, which will be a functional work of public art that aims to bring awareness to an ecologically fraught area, where the water that has served the community and environment for thousands of years is at great risk. In the tradition of Land Art works in the Western region of this country, Cedar Spring Water School will be a publicly accessible site that engages with a remote natural environment. Through this permanent artwork, Tuazon hopes to promote a better understanding of the water politics in the rural West, and of water’s significance as a global political resource used for control of natural environments and native communities.

https://www.luhringaugustine.com/artists/oscar-tuazon#tab:thumbnails