June 5, 2009

Sculptures featuring wind turbines and solar panels to be installed at I-205 MAX station

Kinetic sculptures are final art pieces for I-205 segment of the future Green Line

TriMet will install three sculptures at the Lents Town Center/SE Foster Rd MAX station on Monday, June 8. These are the final art pieces to be installed on the I-205 segment of the future MAX Green Line, which begins service September 12.

Portland artist Brian Borrello designed and fabricated the sculptures, entitled Lents Hybrids, as an expression of the potential energy of the Lents neighborhood and community. Each colorful sculpture is comprised of rotating vertical axis wind turbines, solar panels, and LED-illuminated sconces mounted to helical coil-shaped poles. The energy generated by the turbines and panels is stored in a battery onsite and used to power the LED lights inside the sculptures' sconces.

The largest of the three sculptures is 27-feet tall and sited at ground level in the SE Foster Rd plaza area, and the other two sculptures are located near the north and south platform entrances.

What: Final sculpture installation along I-205 MAX—the future Green Line
Where: Lents Town Center/SE Foster Rd Station, 9451 SE Foster Rd., Portland
When: Monday, June 8, 2009, 9 to 11 a.m.
Details: Media must be accompanied on site. Please contact Bekki Witt at (503) 962-5669 if planning to attend the installation. Close-toed shoes, hard hats, safety goggles and safety vests are required.

About the artist

Brian Borrello is a visual artist, designer and educator. As a public artist, he has designed and created works for a wide variety of settings with an emphasis on improving livability and connectivity within communities. He was previously a design team and station artist on Interstate MAX, and recently completed a series of light sculptures for Oregon City's new waterfront promenade and a monumental sculpture commemorating bike culture for downtown Portland.

About the project

TriMet's fifth MAX line will add 8.3-miles of light rail between Gateway Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center, and to 5th and 6th avenues in downtown Portland between Union Station and Portland State University (PSU). It is the first light rail extension into Clackamas County. It will serve the heart of downtown Portland and the busiest transit destination in the TriMet system—PSU. When it opens September 12, 2009, it will help revitalize the Mall and poise the region for future rail extensions.

Plan your trips by MAX or bus by visiting trimet.org or calling 503-238-RIDE (7433), 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekdays.