Passage
Artist
Matthew Moore
Year2014
Classification
sculpture
Medium
water-jet-cut aluminum and acrylic
Dimensionsapproximate maximum dimensions: 4 x 15 x 107 ft. (121.9 x 457.2 x 3261.2 cm)
Credits
Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
Mariposa Land Port of Entry
Nogales, AZ
CollectionAt the Horizon: Art for the U.S. Border
- This large, sculptural shade structure represents an inverted mountain range, with its craggy peaks pointing down. Phoenix-area artist and fourth-generation farmer Matthew Moore created this site-specific artwork for the Mariposa Land Port of Entry. Moore was inspired by his deep connection to the Arizona landscape, as well as the dramatic mountain passages that frame the otherwise flat terrain of the Southwest. Passage takes its shape from the nearby Baboquivari Mountains, which run north-south towards the border. For millennia, mountain ranges have served as important navigational landmarks for both people and animals. To evoke this sense of migration, Moore affixed a pathway of colored acrylic markers across the artwork’s metallic landscape. These markers also reference the daily passage of travelers through the port facility. The dynamic play of shadows cast by the artwork and the light filtering through and bouncing off its aluminum surfaces create ever-changing experiences for those walking beneath the sculpture.
