Reclamation by Lesley Baker

On a recent stroll down Mass. Ave. in Indianapolis, I came across this public art project by Lesley Baker entitled Reclamation. Baker is a ceramic artist with a background in architecture, and this sculpture, standing eight feet tall, is constructed of glazed bricks covering and revealing bits of text beneath. The brick exterior, patterned to look like layers of wallpaper, suggests domestic interior spaces.

Of course, I’ve got a bit of criticism: in order to examine the detailed patterns and to read the text shards, I had to climb into the shrubbery, which I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to do. The plantings on the site give this sculpture the look of an abandoned home surrounded by an overgrown garden, but the temptation to look closely is strong. Is that part of the artist’s intent?