Right Spot/Dotted Line

A part of a group exhibition of environmental art titled, “A Look at the New: Four Boston Artists,” this installation of ten dots was first suspended in front of the community library/art center in Stowe, VT.  Each dot, ranging from five to fifteen feet in diameter, was created using a PVC pipe ring supporting a double layer of bright colored stretch knit fabric. Attached to a nylon rope that passed through and stretched apart the center of each disc creating a top-shaped form, they were hung from overhead and seemed to float in mid air.  Thus suspended, a breeze or a touch set the bright, carnival-colored world to swaying, inviting the viewer into a child-like space where art is an event to experience.  Sunlight as it passed through the spots, created color patterns on the surrounding lawn and building. The addition of these mood colors added another dimension to the installation, enhancing the experience for those who sat or played underneath the assemblage of Right Spot.

Prior to this exhibition, Layne had moved his studio from Boston, MA to Raleigh, NC.  He was immediately commissioned to install this work of environmental art into a different layout for the Spring Arts and Jazz Festival.  Now titled, The Dotted Line, the modification was installed in two areas associated with Artsplosure, a private space (Montague Square) and the public space (Moore Square) in downtown Raleigh.  Each individual colorful Dot was suspended using a single nylon rope attached at one end to the railing of a second story walkway structure or to a tree limb across the street and the other end attached to the ground.  With the addition of power and light, the sixteen individual internally illuminated fabric discs danced in the wind to the surrounding music and the nearby splashing of the fountain.  Festival attendees could activate the pods by playing the rope chords and watching the interaction of one disc upon another.   During nighttime, theses lighted Dots helped to illuminate the Montague courtyard with their reflections in the fountains adding a special effect to the whole sculptural installation.