Mansfield Whitewater Partnership Willimantic Connecticut USA

​In this invitation-only competition, hosted by the Land Art Generator Initiative, our team was chosen to develop an energy-generating sculptural element on a naturalized property just off of Main Street along the Willimantic River. The primary focus of our team's vision was the needs of and provisions for the resident community paired with a unique river experience to attract visitors.

 

As a team of artists, landscape architects and renewable energy experts - all with a deep local sensibility and expertise - we tapped into existing sectors within the Mansfield community - artists, craftspeople, technical and construction experts, families, public servants, and interested citizens-- to gauge their experiences with the site, their sustainability awareness + values, and their reactions to the concepts considered. The charettes conducted during the design process were fun, interactive and a great opportunity for communication and feedback. As such, the voices of the Willimantic community have a strong presence in our design proposal. Open space anywhere is often misunderstood. But where it triumphs, it's because the community recognizes, defends and proves its viability.

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Phase 1: Solar Boombox Artwork celebrates the vitality, multiculturalism and fun the park embodies as a community hub. The Solar Boombox generates renewable energy for the site, serves as a gathering point for park activities, is a storage locker for kayaks and is also a sound system for events and fitness programs. 

 

Phase 2 : Whitewater Park Plan incorporates elements that integrate and support the conceptual themes of the river, sound, fitness, solar energy and community. These elements include an amphitheater seating and stage, accessible plazas and pathway sequence and river access.

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A small object of interest on the three-acre site, the Solar Boombox artwork is inspired by the unique Willimantic Boombox Parade, which began in1985 out of necessity after no band was available for their annual Memorial Day parade. Everyone brought their boomboxes and walked the parade tuned in to the local radio station WILI-AM which played marching band music. The Solar Boombox Artwork concept is grounded in cultural movements such as Pop Art artists Claes Oldenburg, Andy Warhol and Red Grooms. The Boombox is a magnetic and unifying image. People arriving by bike, by foot, or in vehicles find an interactive sound system, an engaging social currency generator, and a catalyst for community and economic viability.

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​w/Ted Efremoff, Matthew Macunas, Richard Dziadul, Lidija Ristovska, Katarina Ristic + citizens of Willimantic CT too numerous to list here.