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Tower Construction, Art at Work
Portland Museum of Art,
Portland, OR January 1984

Tower Construction is an Art at Work performance that draws from labor culture to express the choreography and importance of work and the aesthetic of the job site.

Tower Performance

A 50' tower that went up and down in a single day, this Art at Work performance/installation explored our urban aesthetic and the choreography of work.  As human forms move around and through the geometric structure, a living, kinetic sculpture is created.

Tower Construction was part of the Labor Festival organized by the Oregon AFL-CIO and the Portland Art Museum and supported by the AFL-CIO, Carpenters Union #247, Laborers Local #296, WACO Scaffold and Equipment Co. and Hoffman Foundation

 Intersection Video by Kristy Edwards 19:00 minutes
When the modules of shiny steel are grouped and stacked, creating new structure in the once empty city street, the choreography of the work process becomes evident. Getting the job done may call for seemingly awkward movements and uncomfortable positions but there is art and vitality in awkwardness as well as in grace.

The urban grid is the frame for this cycle of building and tearing down that is parallel to the performance.  Intersection focused on the beauty and energy of daily work and life.

© 2026 Linda Wysong

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