Location:
3019 West Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
Location Notes:
Jens Jensen Formal Garden
Located Within:
Humboldt Park Formal Gardens
Installation Duration:
May 2017 - May 2018
Artist:
Jorge Felix
Medium:
Steel, wire, used shoes
Year Created:
2017
Features:
Outdoor, Temporary, Sculpture
Description
Pa’l Norte (to the North) speaks about immigrants’ journeys to this country. Each of the 40 pairs of shoes tells a story of immigration: a father and son, a husband and wife, a couple of brothers, and many more. The sculpture is meant to interact with the community and its surroundings. Dirt will be placed inside the shoes and morning glories planted. After some time, the sculpture's steel will be rusted and covered in vines and flowers, and each shoe will be a home for birds and insects.
"Tengo tu antídoto
Pa'l que no tiene identidad
Somos idénticos
Pa'l que llegó sin avisar
Tengo tu antílico
Para los que ya no están
Para los que están y los que vienen"
--
Calle 13
The Humboldt Park Formal Garden was designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen (1860-1951) in 1908. Jensen was one of America’s most influential landscape architects, best known for his role in developing the Prairie Style of Landscape design. The garden was conceived of as a space for members of the Humboldt Park community to gather and enjoy the outdoors.
In 2015, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Parks Foundation, and a group of neighbors that have become the Jens Jensen Formal Garden Working group came together to revitalize and restore the garden. As part of these revitalization efforts, the Chicago Park District, in partnership with Fieldwork and the Jensen Formal Garden Working Group, has selected four Chicago artists to create site-specific, temporary public art installations for the garden. The final installations are visually and conceptually linked to the history and design of the garden and to the work of Jens Jensen.