About the artwork
Jonathon Brearley and Aaron Whelton
Anthropocene, 2019
Dimensions(h x w x d): 78" x 114" x 21"
Mild steel
Located next to Millar Library bicycle garage
This sculpture underscores PSU's commitment to bicycling and clean air, as well as the passage of the Bicycle Bill in 1971. The sculpture honors the legacy of PSU English professor Sam Oakland, who was an avid cyclist and leading advocate for bicycle transportation in Oregon starting in the 1960s. In 1971, he organized a mass bike ride of approximately 400 cyclists from Portland to Salem to call attention to the need for improved bike and pedestrian routes and trails in the state. His activism contributed to the passage of the Oregon Bicycle Bill (ORS 366.514) later that year. In student Jonathon Brearley's description of the sculpture, "A hollow biker pushes forward into clean air. . . celebrating the positive impact biking has on the air we breathe." Anthropocene was designed by Brearley with the contributions of Assistant Professor Aaron Whelton and fellow architecture students Griffin Lutz, Kip Olkowski, Molly Jacobs, and Kagan Reardon.
About the artists
Originally from Albuquerque, Portland State alumnus Jonathon Brearley majored in architecture and minored in math at PSU. In Portland, he missed New Mexico's sunny winters, so he moved to Cambridge in 2018 to pursue a Masters of Architecture at the MIT School of Architecture + Planning. When Anthropocene was unveiled in 2019, Brearley flew to Portland to attend the ceremony.
Aaron Whelton is an Assistant Professor in Portland State University’s School of Architecture. He is a registered architect in Oregon and a LEED-accredited professional. Aaron conducts design research through his practice, Whelton Architecture, which currently explores parametric design’s capacity to augment our experience of public space. He often collaborates with architects, artists and other allied disciplines to explore the cultural implications of making architecture in contemporary, digital society. Collaborative public works with the artist David Franklin are located in San Diego, California, and Denver, Colorado.
Banner image: Photo by Josh Gates.