Dr. Phil Seeger stands under the Solar Tree that he contributed to. Courtesy photo

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Los Alamos County has an impressive art collection; from the abstract to the realistic, the County has a vast array of sculptures and paintings displayed throughout its facilities and spaces.

But what does everyone think about these pieces? The Art in Public Places Board wants to know and has issued a three-part questionnaire to gather people’s feedback. The survey is open through Oct. 31 and is available at https://polco.us/n/res/vote/los-alamos-county-nm/public-art-in-los-alamos-county

This isn’t the first time that the Arts and Public Places Board has reached out for feedback on a piece of public art. It was through a detailed public input process that persuaded the board to recommend in 2015 to purchase the Solar Tree sculpture located outside the Municipal Building.

According to the April 14, 2015, County Council agenda, the Solar Tree is an 18-foot-tall steel and aluminum sculpture, which features solar panels on the upper leaves to power LED lighting plus USB ports and a WiFi repeater for use by the public. The installation also features two picnic tables and a bench in the same style as the tree and fabricated from the same materials.

Before weighing in again on the Solar Tree on the questionnaire, perhaps some more insight is needed. For starters, while Albuquerque artist Eric Thelander created the piece, he received some local help. Los Alamos resident and retired Los Alamos National Laboratory employee Dr. Phil Seeger assisted with fractal element of the tree.

Dr. Seeger became involved in the project after Elena Perez, a member of the Arts in Public Places Board at the time, reached out to him. She said she knew of his love of fractals and was sure he would be a great fit for the project.

“It looked like it would be fun,” he said.

Plus, Seeger said being retired, he was looking for something to do.

The fractals are in the design of the leaves as well as the in the shadows they cast on the ground.

According to the Fractal Foundation, a fractal is a never-ending pattern. They are created by repeating a simple process in an ongoing feedback loop. Geometrically, they exist in between familiar dimensions – nature is full of them, including trees.

“I tell people, ‘Look at the shadow’,” Seeger said. “This is the fractal of a very low fractal dimension.”

He explained Thelander’s design included holes in a large aluminum panel or plate, and he suggested fractals be included in the leaves’ holes on the edges. Seeger was invited to participate to calculate the distribution of the radii of curvature.

The fractals were created by drilling holes into the aluminum plate.

Thelander explained he felt Seeger had a good idea.

“I thought that the fractal edge of the leaf plates was a good fit because the whole tree follows the principals of fractal geometry,” he said. “Each branch divides and subdivides the same number of times and in the same way.”

“Originally the fractal edge of the leaf plates were going to just be a random artistic design, attempting to evoke the sense of leaves,” Thelander added. “After meeting Phil and discussing the ways that fractal geometry could be used to generate a leaf-like profile, it seemed like a perfect fit.”

Looking back, Seeger said it was a great collaboration.

“I’m glad to be associated with it,” Seeger said, adding, “I like to share my knowledge of it and explain it to people.”

Thelander also said he appreciated working with Seeger.

“I hoped that my collaboration with Phil would help bring a real connection between the artwork and the community,” he said.

Perhaps the other noteworthy thing about the Solar Tree, or any other art, is that its story doesn’t end once it is mounted on a pedestal or hung on a wall.

For instance, Thelander noted that despite living in Albuquerque, he visits the tree regularly or when he can. In fact, the sculpture was recently given a refurbishment.

Also, Seeger said he hopes that the Solar Tree will be a part of a County brochure, which also highlights the other public sculptures in town, that could be offered at the Visitor Centers.

Dr. Phil Seeger displays fractals he produced; a feature that he helped incorporate into the Solar Tree. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com