Creston native composes music for Des Moines sculpture

A new immersive art installation is coming to Des Moines as a collaborative effort between Creston native composer Beau Kenyon and Brooklyn-based sculptor Natalia Zubko.

“River Constellation” is a multimedia sculpture being constructed at Des Moines Water Works Park. It consists of 12-inch globes illuminating 45 10 foot tall vertical steel poles.There are 11 speakers attached to the poles, playing symphonic music by sending micro-vibrations through tracks connected throughout the structure.

“The composition I created is installed within the sculpture” said Kenyon. “It’s about creating this all-encompassing, powerful, yet intimate experience for people to engage with the sculpture.”

Kenyon and Zubko have collaborated on projects before, and the chemistry of the artists brings something unique to the public.

“The idea of the collaboration becomes an art form in and of itself,” said Kenyon.

“Beau and I have a really beautiful collaboration.” said Zubko. “We like to think about the space that we are making something. We pull things from that space to make it feel like it comes out of there naturally somehow, versus just copying something down that’s already in my studio or from his brain. We want to make something that feels like it has connection to the spaces.”

In the case of “River Constellation,” the placement of the piece hearkens to the Raccoon River. The color, style and texture of the materials were designed to fit in with the tones of the amphitheatre, to mesh both the natural and man-made aspects of the surrounding environment.

“It feels like it belongs there, but it also feels a little bit magical,” said Kenyon.

The work of art holds more symbolism than just the natural elements. Poles making up the installation have rings around the base representing the donors to the project, some of which bare the names of some contributors. Their placement has been compared to the trunk, both physically and metaphorically.

“They are offering support,” said Kenyon. “They’re helping to build a platform for community building as well. By them supporting the park, they are supporting a space for people to gather.”

The lights are symbolic as well. The globes illuminate all the poles and are reminiscent of starlight, fulfilling the constellation aspect of the namesake.

“When we are all gazing at the stars, we are all connected on a human level,” said Zubko.

The project has been in the works for over a year, and has been quite the process for the duo. Last year, the Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation put out a call for entries, which was facilitated by Group Creative of Des Moines.

“We initially just showed our work we had done in the past,” said Zubko. “From that they picked five groups to make proposals for the park. We had about a month to make a proposal and it was another couple months before the park made their choices.”

The process has not been without challenge. Due to the scale of the project, pacing was something to keep in mind. Contracts could take months to finalize and supplies came from multiple sources.

“We separately have done some large projects and we have done some large projects together as well,” said Kenyon. “But I think this was the longest timeline I have worked with. One week we might be working 30 plus hours on this project, another week we might have about a couple hours on this project.”

Kenyon and Zubko credit their team heavily for overcoming any issues. An undertaking of this scale required a broad array of skills, ranging from electricians to musicians to fabricators. The resulting feeling of community is a point of pride for the artists.

“We felt really lucky actually,” said Zubko. “To have a team that was communicative and on top of their stuff felt really great.”

The installation is due to be complete in November, with a dedication ceremony expected within the same month.