Jeanne Quinn, Pattern and Decoration, 2018, resin, steel and paint, IS 323, Manhattan

Jeanne Quinn’s Pattern and Decoration is a sculptural installation hanging from the lobby ceiling of IS 323 in Manhattan. It consists of 52 translucent resin ornaments attached to a steel frame. The steel frame, painted in four shades of blue and blue-green, is intended to feel like a three-dimensional line drawing. The suspended green ornaments are based on historic printers’ ornaments.  The West Village, where the school is located, was historically an area where print shops were located. In the 1800s, printers had to be their own designers – they made their own ornaments for framing pages, chapter headings and titles. Quinn’s hanging ornaments were designed based on these historic ornaments. 
 
The organic ornamental forms made in green transparent resin evoke a feeling of a hanging garden. Natural light shines through the lobby, transforming the shapes into leaf-like forms. Shadows dance along the floor and walls, shifting their shape throughout the day. The installation provides viewers with a unique sensory experience of the natural world brought indoors.