Taking inspiration from the Hyatt Place/Hyatt House hotel’s location across the street from the Indiana Pacers’ home court, the artist used reclaimed flooring from a demolished high school gymnasium to create abstract references to hoops, rims, free-throw lines, backboards, and other elements of a basketball court. The interplay of the artist-created shapes with the remnants of floor striping and the addition of lighted elements is what gives this piece its excitement. The towering form spans ... view more »
Taking inspiration from the Hyatt Place/Hyatt House hotel’s location across the street from the Indiana Pacers’ home court, the artist used reclaimed flooring from a demolished high school gymnasium to create abstract references to hoops, rims, free-throw lines, backboards, and other elements of a basketball court. The interplay of the artist-created shapes with the remnants of floor striping and the addition of lighted elements is what gives this piece its excitement. The towering form spans the vestibule from one side wall, across the ceiling and down the other wall, creating a two-story experience with a distinctive presence both during the day and at night, visible through the glass vestibule door. The artwork was created as part of the hotel developer’s contribution to the City of Indianapolis’ Public Art for Neighborhoods program.
Conceptual sculptor Chris Vorhees lives and works in Indianapolis. Inspired by architecture and everyday objects, Vorhees looks for the “twist” on the familiar by breaking forms into their constituent parts and reassembling them into exciting new shapes. He is a multi-media artist and custom fabricator. A periodic collaborator with SIMPARCH artist collective with projects exhibited internationally at Deitch Projects (2001), Wexner Art Center (2001), Documenta XI (2002), Whitney Biennial (2004), Tate Modern (2005), and a USGSA permanent installation in Tornillo, TX (2014). Vorhees’s solo work has been shown at the Henry Art Gallery (2002); Bard College (2003); and the Illinois State University Art Gallery (2004). His work has also been shown in the New Center for Contemporary Art, Louisville (2007); the Herron School of Art and Design (2010): the Smart Museum of Art, U of Chicago (2010); and Sculpture Center, Cleveland (2015). He was awarded an Efroymson Fellowship Award in 2009 and a Graham Foundation Grant with Simparch (2012).
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