Erie Downtown Partnership is pleased to introduce the Erie community to the new sculptural gateway titled “Points of Reference”, which is located at the northwest and northeast corners of the downtown intersection at 3rd and State Streets.
“Points of Reference” was created by Aphidoidea, a Los Angeles, CA-based art, and design collective. The lead artists Jesus Eduardo “Eddie” Magaña and Paulina Bouyer. The collective creates site-specific art installations that engage with people and enhance the built environment in otherwise generic or marginalized spaces through the exploration of concept derived by cultural, site, materials, and interactivity opportunities.
Inspired by public interaction and perception, their work has evolved to include visitor response, spectator interaction and art that responds to the site during the day and during the night. Their installations employ different materials because the location and conditions always change—from the ephemeral to the permanent—from technology-based to analogue applications they seek to blur the line between architecture, art, design, and technology.
The artists have spent the last 18 months working virtually collaborating with numerous local businesses to bring the design to life.
Magaña says, “This project is special for us because we get a chance to learn about a community and try to make a positive change in that community. Our work is very collaborative, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know the people and places that make Erie so special.”
Emily Fetcko, Assistant Director for the Erie Downtown Partnership, says, “We were really drawn to Eddie and Paulina’s clarity of concept and their ability to easily connect with people during their initial site visit.”
