| 'Hard Bop' The sculpture was meant to reflect the multi-cultural dynamic of the locale as well as resonate ideas relating to the jazz legacy of the area. The commissioning team really liked the formal rhythmic element of the sculpture, and the way it referenced musical instruments as well as discreet structures that underpin the writing of music, such as a 'stave'. Being an outsider was extremely useful, because I could look at the place and talk to the people for the 'first' time without any baggage associated with the web of politics and policies that urban design usually entails. My reflections on numerous conversations were fresh and my interpretation of the space was as much a response to conversations I'd had with community representatives (of all ages) as with what I could find on the Internet. My holistic approach to making the sculpture fit the proposed plaza space and appealed to the judging panel because it involved an inter-disciplinary, and urban, design that used fine art expertise as a focal point for the structure of the space. My subsequent community engagement and workshops within the Fillmore District ensured an integrated approach that was inclusive of the Fillmore community - an important factor in the strategic planning for the sculpture and street furniture that I had been asked to design. Fillmore's previous urban planning (which typically did not consult with the community), dating back to the '50s, had eroded the 'sense of place' that black communities felt about the area, creating an exodus of people that had made Fillmore the effervescent centre for modern & contemporary Jazz and other vibrant aspects of contemporary life. The task now was to stimulate economic growth based on the cultural stimulus the place had enjoyed in pervious decades: to make Fillmore a destination once again! The important factor that everyone agreed on was that the new Fillmore Plaza was to be a place that brought the community together and was a building block for the Mayor's Office to respond to, and deliver the streets back to pedestrians: a place where people could meet and interact within a stimulating environment, and become the neighborhood that was once world renowned for all the best reasons. The signature piece to Fillmore Plaza had to 'amplify the positive aspects of the site as a whole, integrating a space into a place where friends and the community could once again meet and socialize, discuss and debate.' | | 
John Atkin, Hard Bop, working drawing 
John Atkin, Hard Bop, working drawing 
John Atkin, Hard Bop, machine head detail 
John Atkin, Hard Bop, seating design |
