Pedestrians walking along Houston Street in San Antonio have noticed a colorful piece of artwork on the otherwise nondescript downtown street, thanks to students from the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Nexus Lab.
In early May, the students unveiled El Baile de Lucia on the Houston Street Garage, a dynamic, colorful installation derived from Mexican folkloric culture.
“I want to recognize the thoughtfulness and creativity the UTSA architecture students put into the design of El Baile de Lucia,” District 1 City Councilman Roberto C. Treviño, AIA, said at the unveiling.
The installation was inspired by the ballet dresses worn during Jarabe Tapatío, a traditional Mexican folkloric dance, and is intended to represent the city’s cultural blending.
The piece’s curvilinear metal framing conveys fluidity and movement while its interior repetition of strings displays dramatic explosions of color, reminiscent of the highly detailed China Poblana dresses that inspired it.
The installation is part of a larger effort by the Center City Development & Operations Department (CCDO) and Centro San Antonio to revitalize Houston Street, and marks the third time architecture students have designed and installed a public art piece on the parking garage.
The students and their studio professor, Armando Araiza, were joined by representatives from AIA San Antonio, the CCDO and Centro San Antonio, along with Councilman Treviño, for the unveiling on May 11th.
“We are proud to showcase their artwork downtown as public art adds to the vibrancy of our lives and makes us a city in which people want to live and work,” Treviño said.