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[Chris Poliquin/The Daily Pennsylvanian] Construction workers assemble "Plateau," a new public art project on 40th St. designed by artist Andrea Blum. The art aims to create space that encourages social interaction between strangers by way of stra

Behind the yellow tape and metal fences at the 40th and Locust art-installation site, there is an artist whose aim is to impact social interaction through planks of perforated steel.

The project's artist, Andrea Blum, has been on site since last week to supervise her vision of the sculpture "Plateau" as it becomes a reality.

The project stems from the city's Percent for Art Program, which mandates that 1 percent of the cost of construction on redeveloped land be dedicated to public art.

Though the site appears to be a collection of rubble at the moment, it will eventually feature a structure layered with steel benches and tables.

Blum says the choice of steel as the medium communicates the essence of her artistic vision, which is to encourage interaction among visitors.

The perforated steel "essentially becomes this skeleton ... which dissipates, and what is left is what people are doing" within the structure, she said.

Blum is known for her exploration of the ways in which structures impact behavior.

Her other works includes an installation in France named Drink/Sleep, which is an architectural arrangement in a public park that promotes meeting strangers.

To Blum, this focus on behavior and interactions is what adds depth to her artwork once it has been completed.

"I think ... in some aspects [this installation] will be more interesting with real interactions," Blum said, comparing the installation's physical reality with her original vision.

The installation is representative of the fact that the piece is on a University campus, "but also on the edge of a university activity and basic community activities," Blum said.

"It kind of seems like it is a place that will be potentially a mix of two communities. ... [The work] sort of installs itself as a third community," she added.

Susan Davis, director of fine art programs for the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia, said Blum's design stood out during the selection process because it is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

It had to be "accessible to the public, a functional space. ... Visually it was open," Davis said.

When Blum is on site, she offers what she calls "another eye" and also takes up the task of translating between her French fabricator team and the construction workers.

By the time the project is complete in about two weeks, it will cover 4,800 square feet on the field facing 40th Street adjacent to the high rises.

Affirming Blum's vision for the piece as a social environment, College junior Birgit Doak said that opportunities for meeting new people are sparser near 40th Street than in other areas around campus, and that she hopes the art will help to combat this.

"I feel like there is a lot more social interaction in the [Quadrangle] than out by the high rises," said Doak, who added that she may use the space created by "Plateau" herself.

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