Spring 2019 EditionAlumni & Friends Magazine
Illuminating Memories
Ohio University transforms Maya Lin art installation, Input, with lighting and native trees.
Angela Woodward, BSJ '98 | June 10, 2019
Share:
When it comes to interacting with or interpreting art, no two understandings of the work will be exactly the same. In fact, they can be as different as day and night.
Fifteen years after the opening of Bicentennial Park on South Green, upgrades to its centerpiece outdoor art installation are literally shining a new light on the work that forever changed the landscape of the Athens campus.
Lighting has been installed and trees planted at Input , designed by internationally renowned artist and Athens native Maya Lin and her brother, poet Tan Lin, in an effort to create a more inviting and accessible green space. Resembling punch card technology that was a hallmark of early computer programming courses at Ohio University, Input’s 21 stone rectangles — some raised, others sunken—form a “map of memories,” celebrating the personal reflections of the Lins’ time growing up in Athens and inviting guests to embrace shared experiences.
In 2018, the University worked with Lin to plan the improvements to the park.
“Maya was very collaborative with us in sketching and conceiving the ideas. She involved the University’s landscaping experts as the concept evolved,” said University Planner Shawna Bolin, BSHCS '97.
A newly-planted tree fronts a light in Input, a glow that is woven into the pops of light shown emanating from Peden Stadium and Richland Avenue in this south-facing photo.
As a result, 21 trees native to southeast Ohio— red sun maple, burr oak, black oak, American sycamore, and black gum—were planted throughout Input , a nod to Lin’s and OHIO’s commitment to sustainability and to staying true to the installation’s intention. Twenty high-efficiency LED lights also have been added, illuminating nearly half of the 42 quotes featured in this landscape of words.
“It’s good to come home and reconnect and to be able to see the work with the introduction of the native trees that will, as the trees mature, really help connect this campus entry green to the other campus greens, a fond memory I have of growing up here,” Lin says.
Input , a tribute to both town and gown, is there for all to experience — day and night.
Photos by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02