"We The People "

This finalist proposal was a tower to be incorporated into the exterior of the new Emeryville Civic Center. Surrounding a column near the front entry would rise a series of cylindrical steel forms covered with 125 iconic human figures. The figures symbolize the diversity of the Emeryville community without reference to race or class. While these figures have a stylistic similarity to the now ubiquitous international male and female symbols, they differ in one important way; they portray individuality rather than the generic.

The tilted cylinders symbolized the dynamic and yet precarious nature of the democratic process. The tower would appear to hold up the front of the building symbolizing that democracy is a form of government supported by its citizens. Had this proposal been chosen these stylized figures would have personified the individual connections of the community to its government. The physical and psychological comparisons the figures invited would, each day, have created unique and personal experiences for all who saw it.

Link to the project selected by the jury.