Filament/Firmament photo collection

Artwork by acclaimed sculptor Ellen Driscoll
Photos by Phyllis Bretholtz

Filament/Firmament is a living memorial honoring the contributions of women to the life of the City. Using etched glass, perforated zinc panels, woven cable, text, and textile imagery, Filament/Firmament metaphorically represents the oldest and most universal of women’s activities–weaving and sewing (3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
(3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
(3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
(3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
Ellen Driscoll gives dimension to the diagram by adding text of her own, sparking recognition of the interconnectedness of women to one another, their roles within society and to the world at large. (3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
Weaving and connectedness is explored in the lower half of the atrium with zinc-coated walls featuring 240 cutout circles in the pattern of a Jacquard loom punch card, which revolutionized textile manufacturing in the 19th century and is a precursor of the modern day computer circuit board. (3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
(3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
Each cutout circle is an etched-glass window to a different woven textile pattern. Together, the 240 circles represent many different cultures and civilizations throughout the world reminding us that weaving and the simple act of intertwining string is a metaphor for the endless process of invention (3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
(3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz
The location of Filament/Firmament “knits” together the original library structure and the new addition. The sky-lit vertical atrium is filled on the upper level with tensioned cables that emerge from diagrams etched into two opposing walls of glass and that are woven across the space. (3/24/2010) - photo: Phyllis Bretholtz