Jake Cordero
Artist Statement by Jake Cordero
As an Artist who believes in the constant evolution of creativity, my objective is to always “say something” and utilize the materials at hand to stretch my imagination even more. I truly enjoy the challenges of innovation and creativity. There’s no greater excitement than to be presented with a unique opportunity, listen to the stories, see the space, absorb the culture and brainstorm a unique concept from paper to its’ final brushstroke.
When I was presented with the opportunity to collaborate with the Miami Marine Stadium and its’ Partners knowing the History of the Stadium, it moved me as an exciting project to be a part of. The initial concept spark occurred while I’m holding this heavy Stadium Chair, a solid piece of Miami’s young history in my hands.
When researching the Stadium’s archives and reading interviews that outlined specific components for the fruition of this unique Stadium, one of the interviews with the talented Cuban Architect Hilario Candela resonated. He describes himself as a man who respectfully prides himself on being an Artist and how he looked for innovative ways to erect this unique Sculpture-like stadium with simple, but strong materials that will stand the Test of Time. I immediately felt compelled to create a piece that resonates with the origin of the stadium and incorporate the physical materials that initially moved Mr. Candela.
The immediate concept direction was to keep this piece simple, enhance with color and utilize the materials in a direction unique to my personal style. By taking apart both Stadium Chairs, the shapes of the brackets, the curvature of the wood slats, and even the embossed chair numbers were all to play a significant role in the overall structure. One of the statements Mr. Candela made about what the Local Graffiti and Street Artists had done with the abandoned structure which made me smile was “…they brought new life into the building and I like it”. That’s what Artists do, they look at things from a different perspective.
Between the simplicity of the materials, the ever evolving/rotation of creative perspectives and the idea that this Stadium was designed to survive the Elements of the Earth, I knew exactly what I wanted to portray. The skeleton of the piece was bound together by nuts and bolts to a custom welded brace system. Each chair was carefully taken apart and installed by U-bolts in an abstract placement. On each “wing” of wood, I designed symbolism of each “Element of the Earth”. The entire structure is bolted to a 400 lb rectangle stone and is made to be displayed outdoors, back in the Elements from which they came.
