An Interview with Charlotte Hailstone Wu on her Public Sculpture debut 'Afterglow'

I had the chance to speak to artist Charlotte Hailstone Wu about her sculptural installation Afterglow at the Flatiron NoMad Plaza that's on view through the month.

She spoke about the power of light, color, and public space. Art in a public space, especially in Manhattan, becomes a tangible part of everyday life for commuters, kids, tourists, etc. She expressed that art should be accessible to all, and that by having an engaging and playful piece right in the center of a busy plaza, inherently invites all those who walk by to be an active consumer of art.

Originally from Baltimore, her pride for her home city shows by promoting accessible arts, community spaces, and joyful expression. She says “...public art is not trapped in a museum, you don't need to know anything. It's so fun to just walk by randomly.” She also talked to us about her hero Joseph Albers. “I'm a graphic designer by trade so Joseph Albers is like my god. I reread his book every year on color interaction, how when colors touch certain things can make you feel a different type of way.”

A local of the NoMad area, she noticed a lack of sculptural art in an underutilized space. After doing some research she found an RFP online and applied in collaboration with her friend Antraniq who runs AG Art and Design. Her proposal was quickly selected.

From there, the process was a whirlwind of city building codes, permits, and engineering consultations. The sculpture had to meet city regulations for weather safety such as being able to handle strong winds. Hailstone Wu worked with the couple that owns Counterpart, a NYC based fabrication agency specializing in high-tech projects, experiential marketing, and creative production solutions. “they're from Baltimore as well, which I just love that connection. They’re able to put anything together.”

The final product is a rainbow color plexiglass formation catching the light and turning the surrounding pavement into an array of glowing hues. Hailstone Wu says, “I really like using plexiglass because it gives really fun abstract shadows. I'm not able to predict what they're going to look like. I can only know what it looks like as soon as the thing is installed in that space and I think that's really special because it makes the space a part of the work. The space determines the work as well.”

We talked about how public art is inherently interacting with the surrounding architecture and landscape. She shared, “the whole concept was to see the Flatiron Building behind it. The transparency is really important because it doesn't actually eliminate anything from your view line. You can see completely through it, so it just overlays this color onto the building behind it instead of taking away from it.”

Afterglow is on display until June 30th.