Symphony Park’s latest art piece is ‘Larger Than Life’
Las Vegas artists Barbara and Larry Domsky have created art installed in 18 countries during their lengthy careers, yet they cannot appreciate those pieces up close.
Their installation called “Larger Than Life,” which was christened on Thursday, is different: It is the latest art piece to be unveiled in Symphony Park, the downtown Las Vegas neighborhood viewed as the city’s burgeoning cultural epicenter.
“So to have our work recognized here in Las Vegas, pretty much in our backyard, for our family and our community to enjoy, it means the world to us,” Barbara Domsky said.
It is a set of four brightly colored steel sculptures — a treble clef, a pair of eighth notes and a quarter note — each 10 feet tall and weighing 500 pounds. Mayor Caroyln Goodman, who joked that the sculptures would present a difficult task for would-be thieves, said that they added “so much to the flavor and ingenuity and beauty of our community here.”
The commissioned installation is located on the northeast corner of 355 Promenade Place, near The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. It joins other recent artwork nearby, including a 20-foot-tall replica of the famous Vegas Vic sign and the colorful vertical bands, known as “Pipe Dream,” by artist Tim Bavington.
Councilman Cedric Crear, who represents Symphony Park, said that Las Vegas has embraced art and recognizes how certain pieces can grow synonymous with a city.
“I don’t think it’s a stretch that Las Vegas could soon be known as one of the … greatest art cities in the entire world,” Crear said.
The contemporary installation celebrates the city’s colorful and vibrant nature, according to Ally Haynes-Hamblen, the director of the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
In recent years, there have been major developments such as apartments and restaurants in Symphony Park, which is the site of a former Union Pacific Railroad rail yard that required costly cleanup to address pollutants in the soil.
“We just are lauding what’s happened in Symphony Park,” Goodman said. “And on this old railroad, poisoned Earth, has now risen beauty, flower, music, culture, art.”
Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.