About This Piece

“Avian Front”, by Patrick Marold, is located on the southwestern boundary of the Denver Zoo and is visible from City Park. This work was commissioned to establish a creative boundary between City Park and the Denver Zoo’s Avian Propagation Center, an innovative breeding and conservation facility for endangered birds that opened in 2008.

Inspired by the micro-architecture of a bird’s feather, Marold approached this commission with the intention of revealing a sense of depth and visual movement, drawing on the specific characteristics of the site. He incorporated over 15,000 feet of salvaged steel pipe, fabricating each individual vertical element at his studio in Denver with a team of local fabricators. The entire piece measures over 400 feet in length and averages about 10 feet in height.  Two extensions were sited in City Park along the axis of the Zoo’s boundary, inviting the attention of the public to the greater composition.