Norie Sato

Cactus Mirage

The result of an ideal collaboration between artist Norie Sato and McDowell Mountain Ranch Park and Aquatic Center project architect Phil Weddle, Cactus Mirage, a 30’ x 40’, acrylic scrim enclosure was inspired by the idea of light and change in the desert and the segmented forms of the native barrel cactus. This prominent focal point on the pool deck also serves as the front façade of the water slide tower while relating seamlessly with the architectural vocabulary of the building and the surrounding landscape. Visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the aquatic center, Cactus Mirage immediately captures the attention of visitors as they enter the building’s grand foyer.

The passive kinetic wall is activated by natural breezes—a framework of colorful mylar discs suspended behind the acid etched acrylic flutter at random and reflect a rainbow of hues in proportion to the changing sunlight. On the front of the partition, an abstract composition of gently flickering patterns interlaced with architectural lines and figural shadows is cast through the wall by people moving up the stairwell to the waterslide.