Abstract Sculptures of DC: Tricorn
The work utilizes LED light to illuminate the park at night.
Text
At the center of James Monroe Park sits a 9-foot tall triangular prism made of stainless steel mesh. During the day, it looks like a simple cage placed at the center of the water basin that surrounds it, but at night it transforms into a glowing box at the heart of the water feature. Duilio Passariello’s Tricorn, in his own words, brings color back into DC’s neutral-toned landscape, similarly to other works he’s completed in DC and across the globe.
Unveiled in 2015, the sculpture holds a few different representations of American history and DC beneath its simple structure. The three points on the prism are positioned specifically towards sites related to the U.S. presidency: one points northward toward the Lincoln Memorial; another points east to the White House; and the last points south toward George Washington University, named after the United States’ first president. Passariello chose bright LED lights for the sculpture because of its high contrast against the rest of the surrounding landscape. The sculpture’s use of light during the night makes it stand out even more against the neutral-toned buildings that surround it, and the green space within the park.
Within George Washington University/Old West End Historic District.
This site is a stop on the Abstract Sculptures of DC tour.
