Inversion: Plus Minus, Steel sculpture near Morrison Bridge in Portland, United States
Inversion: Plus Minus is a steel sculpture near the Morrison Bridge in Portland, composed of angle iron that forms architectural silhouettes. The metal framework creates a visual frame against the skyline backdrop and runs along Southeast Grand Avenue between Morrison Bridge and Hawthorne Bridge.
Inversion: Plus Minus was designed by Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo of Seattle's Lead Pencil Studio, recipients of the 2007–2008 Rome Prize in Architecture. The works were funded through Portland's Percent for Art ordinance as part of the eastside streetcar expansion, chosen by a panel of local artists and community members, and managed by the Regional Arts & Culture Council. The Oregonian reported in August 2012 that the installations would be finished by the end of that year; the sculptures date from 2013.
The works were funded through Portland's Percent for Art ordinance, which sets aside two percent of publicly funded city construction for art, as part of the eastside streetcar expansion. A selection panel of local artists and community members chose the proposal, seeking work with a narrative specific to the site. Lead Pencil Studio rented a fabrication shop in Portland while building the pieces.
The installations are accessible year-round and free to visit as you walk along Southeast Grand Avenue. The location between the two bridges makes these sculptures a natural part of exploring the neighborhood on foot.
The two pieces are not identical: the Belmont Street work is an outline of a building stressing negative space, while the Hawthorne Street piece reads as an almost solid matrix of metal. Han and Mihalyo, of Seattle's Lead Pencil Studio, won the 2007–2008 Rome Prize for Architecture.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,076 contributors worldwide.